What the Hell
by Iceangel1229
Summary: When a drug bust goes south and Mike is injected with an unknown substance, his life is thrown into a tailspin resulting in the rollarcoaster ride of his life. He, along with the other members of Graceland, learn that this may be the second chance they all need. Deaged! Mike.
1. Chapter 1

"Grab Him!" Was the thing he heard before a fist connected with his face and he blacked out. He came to on his knees, both arms held securely by two guys on either side of him. The left side of his face was aching from what he figured was soon to be a very impressive black eye. He vaguely wondered where Briggs and Johnny were with the rest of the TAC Team.

"Oh Good. He's awake!" He glanced up to see the smiling face of Walker, the crazy drug lord he was sent to investigate. He hadn't planned on being caught. 'Seriously. Where is Briggs?' he wondered again getting annoyed. He didn't want to die because Briggs was still pissed at him.

"Pretty boy! I have something exciting planned for you!" Walker laughed as he began moving around a table with various bottles and syringes laying on it. He bit back a groan. 'Great! They're going to shoot him up. Just what he needed.' Walker stared down at him and laughed, "Oh, No. I'm not going to waste my drugs on you. I have something even better. You see this right here- indicating the glass bottle in his hand- this is something I've been working on. You see, I wanted to be a chemist when I was younger, but I found my calling another way- Drugs he thought bitterly. Why did people always feel the need to go into long explanations when they have someone held captive? Haven't they ever seen a movie? This is usually when the hero comes to the rescue. -I've been working on this for years now and I think you're going to be my guinea pig. 'Great.' Walker advanced toward him and he tried to break free of the minions hold, but to no avail. "Hold him still!" He made quick work of pushing the needle into his skin and releasing the liquid. A burning sensation began quickly afterward and he couldn't hold back a scream. Darkness was rapidly creeping around his vision. Just as he was about to give into the darkness, the door to the warehouse was thrust open with shouts of "FBI! Don't Move!" 'Finally' he thought before succumbing to the darkness.

"Mike! Mike! Agent Warren! Michael!" He could feel his whole body shaking and wished that whoever was doing it would stop. He didn't feel like being awake right now. "Mike!" Seriously stop. Whoever's doing this was very persistent. He groaned and turned his head toward the unwelcome voice and tried to open his eyes. It was extremely difficult. He used every amount of strength he could muster to open his eyes to slits. He was met with the face of his training officer Paul Briggs. He looked relieved, but it was his fault for taking so long. Even sitting up took tremendous effort. Once he was sitting, he opened his eyes fully and saw everyone just staring at him. Had they never seen an agent get knocked out before?

"Mike?" That was Johnny. Why was he looking at him like that? Everyone was making him uncomfortable and freaking him out.

"Is he okay?" a member of the TAC team asked Briggs. As they both just stared at him. Okay, enough with this. He made to stand up and Briggs grabbed his arm.

"Maybe you shouldn't stand up right now." he stated while looking him directly in the eyes.

"I'm fine" he replied before pausing. What the Hell! Did he just make that noise? He looked down at his arm where Briggs was holding him. Briggs hand engulfed his arm. He yanked his arm from Briggs grip and stared. It was so… tiny. He glanced at the other arm the same. He made quick work of checking the rest of his body. He'd been miniaturized! "No. No. No. No." he whispered shaking his head back and forth. He was freaking out he knew that, but he couldn't help it. The panic he felt was growing and it was getting harder to breathe. Briggs kneeled in front of him placing his hands on his shoulders. Briggs was saying something, but he couldn't hear it over the blood rushing in his ears. He could feel the darkness closing in on him again and he welcomed it. For the third time that day, he crumbled in a heap to the floor. However, this time he was caught by Briggs.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! Thanks so much for all the feedback and follows. This is my first fic and I'm glad it was met with such positive results. Thanks, you guys are great! I don't know how old Mike is suppose to be, but you have to be at least 23 to be a pilot. That being said, I made him 25. I hope I continue to make you guys happy and if you have any suggestions of things you want to see in this story, I can try to accommodate. **

**Thanks to all those who reviewed as Guests, sorry I can't reply to you personally.**

**Disclaimer: Sorry this didn't show up in the first chapter, but the characters aren't mine they belong to Jeff Eastin. I'm just playing with them for awhile. Also, anything recognizable doesn't belong to me either. **

**Sorry Guys, This isn't an update, I fixed somethings in this chapter, but the new chapter should be up tomorrow.**

Incessant beeping lured him from the darkness. He should really change his alarm. It was becoming too annoying. Groaning he shifted on his bed- hard and scratchy- okay maybe not his bed. Hesitantly opening his eyes he was greeted with blinding light. '_Ugh!_' Rolling until he was facing away from the light, he opened his eyes again to see Briggs staring at him with concern. "Take a picture, it lasts longer." He said before closing his eyes, hoping he could escape into the darkness again. The beeping registered in his mind again. He reached over to turn the alarm off nearly falling off the bed. He would have, if Briggs hadn't grabbed him. Fully awake now do to the untimely adrenaline rush, he glanced up at Briggs. To his embarrassment, tears sprang to his eyes . Briggs quickly let go of him after making sure he was securely on the bed. The tears began flowing freely down his face, blurring his vision. '_What is wrong with me? I don't even know why I'm crying._' Pulling his knees to his chest, he buried his face in his knees. The days events replayed in his mind and he couldn't stop the sob from escaping. He was frustrated. Helpless. And although, unwilling to admit it to himself, he was scared.

He felt himself being picked up and he embraced it, burying his face in the soft fabric of Briggs shoulder. "It's okay, Mikey. It's okay" Briggs shushed him as he was rocked gently from side to side and soothing rubs were placed up and down his back. Minutes passed before the tears began to subside and his crying fit was starting to taper off with a slight hiccuping.

"Thanks." He spoke slightly above a whisper. '_I'm such a baby_' He pulled away from the safety of Briggs' shirt, looking dejectedly around the room he spoke more audible this time, "Why am I in the hospital? What's wrong with me? Can they fix it?" His rapid fire questions making Briggs give him a strange look.

"I brought you here after you passed out at the warehouse. With the colorful bruise you're now sporting and the effects of whatever you were given, we thought it better safe than sorry. So, we took a trip here while the Bureau investigates what you were given by that crazy 'chemist'." He couldn't help but notice the disdain that one word held. " We found out that the drug rapidly reverses the aging process. So you lost about 20 years in five minutes."

"So that makes me five years old?" A statement formed as a question, hoping Briggs would tell him this was all just some crazy dream brought forth by psychoactive ingredients in the cocktail he was given.

"Yeah..." '_Guess not_' "We don't know how long it lasts or if there are any other effects. You were the only unlucky individual to be given it." '_Great_.' "So, until we learn more about this-Briggs gestured to his now rather tiny body- you are going to stay at Graceland and your new cover is my nephew." '_Aren't I lucky._' "The Bureau is trying to keep this as in house as possible, only me, Johnny, the TAC team and a few higher ups know. They didn't even want us to tell the other members of Graceland, but it would be very suspicious if you suddenly disappeared and my 'nephew' came to visit that held a striking resemblance to you. Even though we aren't suppose to have family in Graceland." '_Makes since._'

"Its going to be weird though, everyone treating me like I'm five years old when I'm not." He mumbled while letting his head fall back onto Briggs' shoulder. "When are we leaving here? I want to go home." The exhaustion of his emotional meltdown finally catching up to him.

"As soon as the doctor comes back and gives you a clean bill of health, we can go home. Are you okay?" Briggs shifted him so he was looking at him, but his head was still resting on his shoulder.

"I'm fine. Just tired." He sighed into Briggs' shirt as the doctor appeared in the room.

"I see he's awake now." '_Way to cheerful. Why are pediatric doctors always too cheerful?_' "Well, he doesn't appear to have a concussion or any obvious injuries beside the bruising on his face. As long as you put ice on it to keep the swelling down and give him some Children's Tylenol if the pain gets too much, he should be fine in a few days. Come back if he experiences a headache that doesn't subside when given the Tylenol." '_Why do doctors insist on using language that patronizes their patients?_' "How are you feeling, buddy?" '_There's that cheerfulness again._'

"Fine. I just want to go home." He replied burrowing himself more into Briggs hoping the doctor would get the hint and let them leave.

"Sorry. He's just a little tired. It's been a rough day for him." '_No kidding_' he laughed in spite of himself.

"That's fine! I'll get the discharge papers. A nurse will bring them by with a reward for him for being a star patient." The doctor gushed while exiting the room.

"Wow. I've never had to deal with something like that." Briggs laughed as he stared at where the doctor had just stood. It required too much energy to respond, so he just nodded his head into Briggs' shoulder, He could feel Briggs' looking at him, but moving took energy that he didn't have. Therefore, he stayed with his head cuddling into Briggs and letting his eyes drop close. "Mike?" Briggs placed a hand on his hair and he leaned into the touch.

A knock and then the door was pushed open and a nurse came into the room armed with papers in one hand and a box in the other. She handed the papers to Briggs, telling him to read them over and where to sign. Forcing his eyes open, he watched her grab the box and bring it towards him. "Since you did so well today, why don't you pick something out of the box." He glanced at the open box to see various toys, games, books and stuffed animals. There was only one thing that caught his eye and mustering the last of his strength he reached in and grabbed it. Smiling at the nurse as she took the box and the papers Briggs signed away. "Have a good evening!" She called as she walked out the door. '_Now we can go home._'

"Alright, let's go." Briggs stated moving him to a move comfortable position as he grabbed his things preparing them for the trek home. As the walked through the corridors of the large hospital, the last of his energy left him and he welcomed the darkness of sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait. I've been going back and forth with this chapter and I'm still not entirely sure if I like it. Anyways, if there is anything you want to see in the future tell me because I have a few chapters that still need some ideas. **

**Disclaimer: Not mine. They belong to Jeff Eastin. I just wanted to play with them for awhile. **

**Spoilers: None, but there are references to Pizza Box in this chapter.**

"Hey, Mikey? Wake up, man." Johnny's voice broke through the sleep that was currently muddling his head.

Blinking open his eyes, he glanced sleepily at Johnny. "What time is it?" He asked looking over at the clock. _'You've got to be kidding me.'_

"7." He groaned at the answer. Most days he was a morning person, today was not most days. "Briggs wants to tell the family about you. He wants to do it before anyone has to leave for the day."

"Okay." He started untangling himself from the sheets. "Just give me a few minutes." He called walking into the bathroom.

"Do you need any help?" Johnny asked just as he opened the door.

"No. I'm good. " he stated as he walked out into the room. "Had to stand on the toilet to reach the sink, though." He laughed as he moved towards the bed where Johnny was currently sitting. "You made my bed?" He asked incredulously.

"Uh... Yeah. You were in there a while." He replied shifting on the bed.

Glancing at the clock, he replied, "It's been 6 minutes..." Johnny just shrugged. "Sorry, I'm not as tall as I use to be it took me awhile. But, thanks." He smiled at Johnny.

"Don't mention it. Briggs said he call us down when they're ready." Johnny replied while making no moves toward the door.

"This must be early for you guys after last night. What time did we get home anyways? I don't remember anything after leaving the hospital." He stated while sitting down next to Johnny.

"Yeah, it is." He agreed while trying to suppress a yawn. "After the doctor cleared you, Briggs called me and I had to run to the store to pick up a few things. Speaking of, you might want to change before we go downstairs. I mean unless you want to lose any manly image you had. Which wasn't much." Johnny laughed.

Looking down at his clothes, he felt the heat reach his face. The embarrassment seeping into his whole body. "Why am I wearing pajamas with dinosaurs on them?" The embarrassment making his voice squeak.

"Those are courtesy of the hospital. After you...changed, your clothes didn't really fit anymore. I don't know how Briggs got you those, but just be glad it wasn't a gown. Those things have no privacy." He accepted Johnny's answer, but he was definitely changing out of these. _'The sooner, the better.'_

Walking towards his dresser, he stopped and turned to face Johnny. "Do I have anything to change into?"

"Yeah, here." Johnny said while reaching for a bag next to the dresser. "This is what I picked up at the store among a few other things."

"Uh...thanks." He pulled out a navy blue t-shirt and khaki shorts as well as a pack of mini socks and underwear. He could feel the heat rising to his face again. "I'm just going to change real quick." He told Johnny as he rushed into the bathroom. "Did you get me any shoes?" He asked as he emerged from the bathroom in his new clothes.

"Yeah, here you go." Johnny handed him a pair of mini black and white Velcro shoes.

"Seriously?" He whined while sliding his foot into one of them.

"Yeah, it was these or the ones that light up and have cartoons on them." Johnny laughed.

"No these are fine." He hastily agreed. As he stood up, he heard Briggs call to them. "I guess we better go." He waited for Johnny to lead the way.

As they descended the stairs he could feel his heart beginning to beat rapidly against his chest. _'What if they didn't accept him anymore? What if they don't believe it's him? What if they want him to leave Graceland because he was now miniaturized?'_ He stepped off the bottom step _'Crap!'_ and attached himself to the back of Johnny's leg. When they stopped by the couches he buried his face in the fabric of Johnny's shorts. He was panicking again. _'Slow your breathing or they're going to think something is wrong. Seriously calm down!'_ He was attempting to reign in his breathing when he felt himself being turned and registered his name was being called. He took a steadying breath and opened his eyes to be met with expressions of confusion, concern, disbelief and shock.

"Are you okay?" He didn't trust his voice, so he nodded in answer to Johnny's question. He slowly unattached himself from Johnny and moved to stand closer to the kitchen. _'At least I have an escape route now.'_ He could feel everyone staring at him and it was making him uncomfortable.

"So..." he let the question hang in the air hoping someone would say something, anything to replace the silence.

"I don't know what to say. But, you still remind me of a puppy." Paige broke the silence referring to the metaphor they used for him.

"Haha. I'm not a puppy in this situation either." He stated while leveling glares at both Johnny and Paige, which earned him laughs from everyone. And just like that the uncomfortable situation faded into something more normal.

"Wow, Levi, you don't do anything halfway do you?" Jakes laughed in disbelief. Turning his head slightly to the side he gave Jakes a confused look.

"Seriously, that is a puppy dog look if I've ever seen one." Paige commented though bouts of laughter.

"Whatever." He replied earning him laughs from the remaining members of Graceland.

"Come here, sweetie." Charlie motioned for him to move towards the couch. He made his way over and was surprised when she picked him up and deposited him onto her lap.

"I still can't believe this!" Jakes stated shaking his head slightly. "So, how did it happen?" He glanced at Briggs who in turn looked in his direction, silently saying he had to tell the story.

"We were going after this drug lord named Walker. He is **Crazy** with a capital C. I went under as a new distributor. I thought it was going fine until the fist connected with my face." He relayed while unconsciously rubbing the side of his face. "When I came to, he just started going on and on. He said he had a surprise for me and I was going to be his guinea pig. He kept talking and talking. Then he had his goons secure me and he injected me with something." He shudders as he remembered the horrible burning that engulfed his body. "Then he got arrested and I went to the hospital. I think. I actually don't remember much from yesterday, except..." He closed his eyes and shook his head to hopefully keep the painful memories from reappearing. "Except, uh this."He made vague gestures to his new body. He looked up as he realized he had been staring at the ground the whole time. The onslaught of memories was making his head hurt. He chanced a glance at Briggs before looking at the other people in the living room. He could see the sadness, sympathy and anger coursing through their eyes. _'I'm glad I'm not on the receiving end of that.'_ He moved his hand to the side of his head and began to massage it diligently. He saw Briggs move from his position leaning against the couch and walk into the kitchen. '_I guess story time's over._' He returned a minute later with something in his hand.

"Here." Briggs handed him a small cup of clear liquid.

"What's this?" He asked even though he already knew the answer.

"Medicine. Take it." Briggs punctuated with crossing his arms.

"I think I'm fine." He consciously moved his hand from his head and glared at the offending liquid.

"Humor me." '_Dammit_' He knew a command when he heard it, even if it was veiled as a request.

"Can't I just take some pills of something?" He begged. He could see the amused looks on the faces of the others listening to them.

"No can do. Doctor said you could have this and this is what you're getting. Johnny picked it up special for you last night." Briggs smirked.

He turned to face Johnny who had an innocent look plastered on his face, "Thanks." He returned to facing Briggs and the disgusting object in his hand. '_If I started crying would he still make me take it? Charlie would back me up.' _He was beginning to like his plan._ 'Just take it. Stop being a baby. It's just children's medicine._' Swallowing, he grabbed the cup, seemingly losing his internal debate. _'Bottoms up.'_ He downed the whole thing. '_Oh my god.._' Closing his eyes he tried to keep the foul liquid down. He fell back into Charlie who shifted to accommodate him. Positive the medicine wouldn't make a second appearance he opened his eyes and locked them with Briggs."What flavor was that suppose to be? It was truly awful." He grimaced.

"Mixed berry."

"They don't even know what berries taste like. At least it wasn't bubblegum." He stated rather disgruntledly.

"I almost picked up the bubblegum one." Johnny added. He shot him a glare. Everyone laughed at that.

"It's not funny. That stuff's like acid." He remarked relaxing more into Charlie. He closed his eyes to try to ease the pounding in his head. '_I wish this stuff was fast acting._' He felt a hand running through his hair and he leaned into the touch. It felt nice and was easing some of the tension building inside his skull. He let out a contented sigh. _'I could get use to this.'_ They must of thought he went to sleep because they began talking about him.

"What happens now?" Paige asked. '_Yes what happens now'_

"For the time being, Mike will stay here under the guise of my nephew. The Bureau is working to see if this is something that can be fixed or if it has to run its course or.." Briggs trailed off not willing to say the end of the dreaded thought.

"If its permanent." Charlie finished for him. _'Thanks Charlie'_ Even his thoughts were sarcastic at this prospect. He felt the hand come to a stop in his hair. He could just imagine the looks he was getting right now.

"Yeah... The Bureau wants us to go on business as usual. _'We can't let this affect our jobs in the field.'_" He could hear the resentment and mockery in the way Briggs said that. He began to feel restless. Twitchy. Fidgety. _'I should get up and... do something'_ "So, until we figure this out more we're just going to act like this is a normal occurrence." Briggs punctuated this with a laugh. He sat up just as his stomach gave a small grumble. '_I guess I know what I can do, now_' Extracting himself from Charlie's lap he made his way to the kitchen, only to have everyone follow him. "I guess it's time for breakfast. Pancakes sound good?" Briggs asked as he moved to gather the ingredients. Affirmative murmurs were heard around the kitchen. He climbed on a bar stool waiting for Briggs to cook the food. He watched as his roommates began going about their morning rituals. Jakes got some juice. Paige and Johnny sat at the table talking which turned into an arm wrestling match. He smirked those two could turn anything competitive. Charlie leaned against the counter and soaked everything in, as usual. Just watching as the mama bear they all knew her to be. He pulled his right leg up on the chair and rested his right cheek against it. He kept the left side tilted in a way that it would not come into contact with his knee. As if on cue his left leg began swinging in the free space around the chair. "Here." Briggs set a plate with three small pancakes on it in front of him.

"Thanks." He gave a small smile as he grabbed the syrup. As he ate, he didn't move his leg from the chair or stop the other from swinging. He could feel the others staring at him, but trying not to be obvious about it. When he finished his pancakes, he looked up as everyone quickly diverted their gazes. _'I don't know what they think is going to happen if they look away for a minute.'_ He noticed everyone had there food and was enjoying it. _'I guess I missed them being passed out'_ He must of been pretty zoned out because as soon as he registered the food, he registered the noise of talking and laughing. The sounds that usually accompany the kitchen.

"You okay, Mikey?" Charlie asked as he moved his gaze to her.

"Yeah. Why?" He positioned his head back onto his knee.

"You were very focused on you food and didn't respond to these knuckleheads." Charlie replied pointing at Paige and Johnny affectionately.

"Yeah. Sorry. I just kind of zoned out there for a minute." He moved his gaze back to the now empty plate. He looked over to the chore wheel. _'Dishes. What a shock.'_ He always seemed to have dishes at such in opportune times. _'Like sauce night.'_ He mentally shut down all thoughts concerning that day. He didn't want to remember anything about that day. It was hard enough trying to forget it in the first place. Shaking his head to clear the lingering thoughts, he glared at the sink. He wished his plate would magically walk over there and clean itself. He really didn't want to do it. Sighing, he got down off the chair, grabbed his plate and walked to the sink. Deciding he wouldn't be able to reach it, he climbed up onto the counter. He started the water and put some soap in the sink.

"What are you doing?" Paige asked him.

"Dishes." He didn't even look at her because wasn't it kind of obvious. He began washing his plate.

"I can see that. I meant why?" She replied with slight confusion in her voice.

"Because it's my turn." He replied as he moved on to other dishes in the sink.

"You don't have to do that. One of us can do it for you." Johnny supplied.

"No it's okay. I want to do it." _'Not really. I just want you guys to treat me the same.'_ He continued scrubbing the dishes.

"If that's what you want, we aren't going to fight you on it. But, if you need help ask." Briggs said from his position next to the counter.

Steering the conversation away from him, he asked, "What are the plans for today?"

"I have to cultivate a CI." Charlie replied with fake enthusiasm.

"Inventory of a shipping container." Jakes sounded bored.

"Johnny and I have a reverse." Paige added.

"That leaves you and me to run some errands." Briggs sounded a little too cheerful for his liking.

"Sounds fun." He tried to muster the same amount of cheerfulness into his voice.

"We'll head out as soon as we're finished here." Briggs gestured to the kitchen.

"Sounds like a plan." He agreed as he finished the dishes and the other members of Graceland left for their own day of fun.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you all for the favorites, follows and reviews. They are greatly appreciated and a huge compliment. Thank you to the Guests who reviewed, I'm sorry I can't reply to you personally. **

**Disclaimer: Still not mine. Anything recognizable belongs to its respective owners.**

**Spoilers: None, but references may be made. **

"You ready to go?" Briggs asked as he moved towards the door.

"Yeah." He slowly walked towards him. He really wanted to get out of the house, but he didn't really want to run errands. Reaching the jeep, he began making his way to the passenger seat.

"Nuh uh." Briggs said with a slight shake of his head. He pointed to the back.

"Fine. Whatever." He grumbled as he opened the door and climbed in the back. Shaking his head in disbelief, "No. No way." He couldn't believe Briggs was doing this to him.

"Rules are rules, Mikey." Briggs laughed. He continued to glare at the object in question.

"I'm not a baby. I don't need a car seat." He stated gesturing to it.

"It's a boaster seat and you have to sit in it because you weigh less than 70 pounds." Briggs replied matter-of-factly. He crossed his arms and huffed. "It's the law and if you don't sit in it, you can't leave the house. And I don't think you want to be trapped there for however long this lasts. _'No, I don't._' Uncrossing his arms with a sigh he slowly climbed into the seat. '_At least it uses a normal seatbelt and not those amusement park restraining devices. I mean I guess those would keep a kid safe.'_

Briggs looked back at him once he was buckled in and preparing to drive off, "Safety first, Mikey." He could've done without the patronizing smile. '_Whatever. At least we're going someplace._' After traversing their way through early morning traffic and finding a decent parking spot, they walked into the very air-conditioned store. "Do you want to walk or ride in the cart?" Briggs looked at him expectantly.

Eyeing the list Briggs had in his hand, he decided he didn't want to walk that much and it had been awhile since he rode in a cart. "The cart." He made as to climb in only to feel Briggs lift him into the seat of the cart.

"Thanks." He smiled shyly.

"You're welcome. Lets hurry I don't want to spend all day here." Briggs finished already sounding annoyed.

Meandering down various isles proved to be extremely boring. He swung his legs back and forth and shifted in the hard seat every few seconds. He could tell Briggs was becoming irritated. _'At least I'm not whining.'_ He noticed other kids having meltdowns in the store when they didn't get what they wanted. He was glad he chose to ride in the cart. If he had had to walk all these isles he would surely be complaining about it now. He was in the middle of shifting again when he heard someone start cooing at him, "Aw. He is adorable. Is he yours?" He smirked up to Briggs at that.

"He's my nephew." Briggs smile turned devious as he locked eyes with him. "What do you say, Mikey?"

Rolling his eyes at Briggs, he turned to the women, "Thank you, ma'am." He turned up the charm and the cuteness factor. She smiled sweetly at him.

"You're welcome, sweetie. How old are you?" She asked him.

"Five, ma'am." He replied holding up one hand for added cuteness.

She smiled back at him before turning to Briggs. "He's very polite. That's a rarity these days." She shook her head sadly. Turning back towards him, she smiled and said bye before turning out of the aisle.

"Always a lady's man, Mike?" Briggs laughed. _'You don't know the half of it'_ he put the most innocent look on his face and gazed at Briggs as if to say I have no idea what you mean. Briggs laughed again as he pushed the cart out of the aisle. They ran into a few other people who cooed at him, including the cashier, before they left the store.

They had loaded the bags and climbed in the jeep, "I'm hungry." he told Briggs who settled into the front seat.

"Oh, okay." Briggs looked down at his watch, "Sorry we missed lunch. How does Hector's sound?"

"It's okay. That sounds good." They drove in silence. The only sound was the wind.

"Do you want to eat here or take it back to the house?" Briggs asked as they pulled up to Hector's.

"If it's all the same to you, I'd like to go home." He replied unbuckling and moving to step out of the vehicle.

"Alright." Briggs stepped out of the jeep and moved next to him. They ordered and were making their way back to the car when Briggs asked, "You okay?"

"M'fine." He mumbled as he hopped into the jeep. He had his eyes closed and his head rested in his hand for the ride home. He didn't even feel like getting out once they arrived. Sighing he grabbed some bags and helped Briggs carry them inside. He deposited them on the table and resumed his position on the bar stool from earlier. His leg didn't swing as fast this time. He could feel Briggs staring at him while he put the groceries and other various items away. He grabbed his taco from Hector's so at least he was doing something. He ate half of his taco before he wasn't hungry anymore. He pushed his plate away and rested his head back on his knee.

"Are you feeling okay? Does your head hurt again?" Briggs was beginning to sound like a broken record. Even as he replied back that he was fine, he knew something was _off_. His whole body ached and he was beginning to feel really cold. '_Great. Being sick is exactly what I need now _' He hopped off the stool and moved to the couch in the living room. '_Maybe I can sleep it off_' He burrowed himself into the back of the couch wishing he could just disappear from this whole ordeal. He was asleep within minutes and the fever currently taking claim of his body started tormenting his mind. The images that plagued him had him tossing and turning. They were relentless and he couldn't fight it anymore. He screamed.

He woke up trembling, sweating and terrified. Breathing heavily he tried to take in his surroundings. When his vision cleared, he was met with Briggs' concerned gaze. He didn't care anymore he threw himself at Briggs, wrapping himself around him. The hand ghosting up and down his back and the whispered reassurances made him feel better. Calmer. Safe. "I need you to take some medicine, Mike. I can feel the heat radiating through your clothes." Briggs stated in the same reassuring whisper he had been using for the past few minutes. He nodded weakly against Briggs, unwilling to lose the contact. Briggs carried him to the kitchen where he swallowed the disgusting liquid. Briggs grabbed a blue Gatorade from the fridge and brought them back to the couch, where they gingerly sat down and relaxed into the cushions. "Drink some of this and then you can go back to sleep. You need to stay hydrated." He simply turned his head and looked at the bottle in response. "Here." Briggs lifted the bottle to his lips. He drank a few sips before pulling his head away from the bottle.

"Thanks." He whispered as he snuggled more into Briggs' shoulder. If it was even possible. '_Briggs is really comfy_' Soon he was sleeping and at the disposal of the fever and the nightmares. Every time they became too intense. He felt Briggs comforting him and he would slip into a more peaceful sleep. In his fever and sleep muddled haze, he barely registered the return of the other occupants and the whispered conversations that occurred around him. The fog was beginning to lift, when he felt himself being gently pried away from Briggs.

"No." He secured his grip around Briggs and buried himself back into him.

"Please, Mikey. I really have to pee. We have been like this for five hours." He could hear the pleading in Briggs' tone. It was something he had never heard before now. He lifted his head and blinked owlishly. He looked over to Charlie, who had attempted to move him, and put his arms out so she would take him. He curled into Charlie and watched Briggs retreat towards the back of the house. He watched and waited for Briggs' return. With his head resting on Charlie's shoulder, his eyes began to drift shut. "Is he asleep? We should put him to bed." Briggs' whisper sounded more like a shout. He opened his and looked at him.

"You're back." The sleep made his speech soft.

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?" Briggs whispered back confused. He shrugged before pulling himself up and into a position that allowed Briggs to take a hold of him again. He locked his legs, fisted his hands into the fabric of Briggs' shirt and laid his head on Briggs shoulder as soon as Briggs took a hold of him. He closed his eyes as he felt them begin walking. The slight rocking and bouncing of climbing the stairs had him back to sleep within seconds.


	5. Chapter 5

**Here you guys go two chapters today, I hope it can hold you over for a little while. I'm going to be away for a few days with no time to write or post. If it doesn't and you need a little Mike fix, check out ****_Phoenix on cloud nine's_**** story ****_Along The Way_****. It's awesome!**

**Disclaimer: Same as last chapter**

**Spoilers: None, but references may be made**

He awoke with a start. Sitting up, he glanced around checking for what could have startled him. He was in his room at Graceland. Vague recollections of yesterday's events played in his head. He spied a chair by his bed as if someone had watched him during the night. But, he couldn't recall if anyone had. With a deep sigh he sought out the clock on the bedside table. 5:24 AM stared back at him in angry black. Laying back down, he stared at the ceiling. Looking over, he realized he was clutching something. He was holding a furry blue elephant. _'My reward from the hospital' _Releasing his grip on the stuffed animal, he untangled himself from the sheets and decided to start the day.

Making the bed proved rather difficult as he had jump over it in places to pull the blankets. With the bed made as well as he could get it, he looked back at the clock and it's unforgiving numbers, 5:53 AM._'Wow. That took a long time.' _Making his way to the bathroom he grabbed a quick shower and threw on a pair of jeans, a black t-shirt and a gray zip up hoodie. He felt oddly cold. Brushing his teeth and fixing his hair were a pain because he had to stand on the toilet to reach the sink and see in the mirror. Determining he was much more presentable than he was early, he grabbed the elephant by the ear and walked downstairs.

Spying the TV in the living room, he flopped down on the couch. He reached for the remote and turned the TV on, at the same time he turned the volume down to a more manageable level. _'Why did everyone feel the need to blast the sound every time they watched something?_' Flipping through the channels, he stumbled across something he hadn't seen in years. Hastily turning it on, he leaned back to enjoy just as it started. He was beginning to get excited, his favorite part was coming up and he couldn't wait. As the music started he jumped up on the couch taking the small elephant with him. He started jumping around and singing. _'I can't believe I remember the words from something I haven't seen in like 15 years' _When that song was over he sat back down and waited patiently for his next favorite song. When, it started he jumped back up and began to speak the spoken part to the stuffed animal before he began to serenade it. He was laughing and jumping around when he hastily jumped off and fumbled for the remote. "That's not a good part." He told the animal as he turned the TV off. Out of the corner of his eye he caught something. Turning his head, he was met with the sight of his roommates trying to hold in their laughter. "How long have you been standing there?" He asked even though he was afraid he knew the answer.

"Since you turned _The Lion King_ into a Broadway musical." Paige smirked at him. He didn't respond. He simply grabbed the blue elephant by the ear and walked into the kitchen. He set the animal on what he was beginning to refer to as his stool and walked to the counter.

'_What can I eat?_' he wondered as his stomach growled in encouragement. He placed his hands on the edge as he hoisted himself up onto the cabinet.'_That wasn't too difficult._' Smirking he stood up and opened the cabinet revealing three boxes of cereal: Raisin Bran, Honey Nut Cheerios and... "_'Froot Loops!'_" Grabbing the red box he closed the door and jumped off the counter. He was caught midair by Johnny. "There is no way that could've ended well." Johnny told him as he lowered him to the floor. He shrugged and went to get on the other counter to retrieve a bowl when Briggs beat him to it.

"Here you go." Briggs said handing it to him.

"Thanks." He took the bowl, grabbed a spoon and brought his items to the counter in front of his stool. He was climbing up when he realized he forgot the most important part, "Milk." He hopped down and retrieved the carton from the fridge. Pouring the colorful rings into the bowl, he couldn't help getting excited. He hadn't had a bowl of the rainbow confection in what seemed like ages. As he was enjoying his breakfast of sugary goodness, he noticed the looks the others were giving him. He smiled tugged the blue animal closer to him and began swinging both legs in the free space around the chair. "Why are you guys looking at me like I've grown a second head?" He asked before taking another bite of the multicolored deliciousness.

"Are you feeling okay?" Charlie asked from her place against the counter.

"Of course. Why?" He was puzzled why she would ask him that.

"You've done a complete 180 from yesterday. " She replied.

"I don't know what you mean. What happened yesterday?" That earned him some very startled and concerned looks.

"You had a fever for most of the day and night." Briggs stated with concern.

He looked down trying to remember. Hazy images flashed through his mind._ 'That would explain the chair' _His face flushed as he remembered his clingyness. "I'm sorry about that." He didn't remember everything, but he could guess it probably wasn't great.

"It's fine. I just wanted to make sure that fever didn't cause any damage." Briggs replied grabbing the red cereal box.

"Hey!" He grabbed at the box that Briggs now had in his possession.

"I think you've had enough sugar for this morning." Briggs motioned to his bowl that was almost empty with his second serving.

He narrowed his eyes and huffed, "I'm a grown up, you know." Briggs smiled as Johnny burst out laughing. "Whatever, guys." He drank the remaining milk from his bowl and went to put his dishes in the sink. He climbed up to begin washing them, but he found the soap bubbles much more enjoyable. He started splashing the water and bubbles outside of the sink, making a huge mess. Mid-laugh he was picked up and deposited on the floor. He glanced up at Briggs and was met with a very stern look. _'I guess I won't be doing dishes anymore' _He saw that the others were trying to contain their laughter and amused smirks, so he decided to use that to his advantage. Pulling his cutest most innocent face, he locked eyes with Briggs. He could see the sternness dissipating. _'That's right'_ he was not ready for Briggs' next sentence.

"What's gotten into you?" Briggs' eyes were full of questions.

"I...I..." He looked down he had absolutely no idea why he did that. "It seemed like fun?" Was obviously the wrong answer if Briggs' reaction was anything to go by. Briggs stood up and began to walk away. "Wait. I'm sorry." He grabbed Briggs' arm in attempt to stop his movements. "I'm sorry, sir. It won't happen again." He didn't want Briggs to be mad at him.

Briggs looked down at him, "You're right it won't. No more dish duty while you're like that." He smiled and moved toward the sink to clean up the water.

"Yes sir." '_Success_' He laughed and moved to the bar stool and clutched the tiny animal to his chest. He watched Briggs clean the mess and everyone go about having their own breakfast. He became bored and wandered over to the couch once again turning on the TV. The epic battle scene was on and he was immediately engrossed in his favorite movie once again. When it was over, they advertised a movie he had never seen. He had heard of it, but he was older when it was released. He figured he had a few minutes before it started to get settled. He jumped off the couch and ran to the fridge hastily grabbing a water. He threw it on the couch and ran to the bathroom. He figured he had time to pee. He fumbled with the towel in his haste to get back to the living room. He ended up just drying his hands on his jeans. He ran back and dove on the couch just in time for the opening credits.

"Where's the fire, kid?" Jakes asked he walked out from the kitchen.

"There isn't. I just didn't want to miss it." He replied gesturing to the movie that was starting. Laughing Jakes disappeared down the hall. He sat with his legs drawn to his chest, his elephant in his lap and his back against the cushions. He was so captivated by the blue alien that he didn't notice everyone leave the kitchen and go about their business, leaving him alone downstairs.

**The scene with ****_The Lion King_**** is actually how my little cousin acts when that movie is on. Especially the songs, ****_I Just Can't Wait to be King_**** and ****_Be Prepared. _****The movie at the end is****_ Lilo & Stitch, _****if you are wondering. **


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm back with an update! Or two. So, I've decided to post another twofer, because I move into my dorm in 12 hours and won't have time for the next week or so. I have the rest of the story planned and a few chapters written, but they are currently with my best friend for review. Anyways...**

**Thanks for all the reviews, follows and favorites! It is extremely appreciated and rewarding!**

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

**Spoilers: None, but may have references.**

He really liked that movie. _'This is my family. I found it, all on my own. Is little, and broken, but still good. Yeah, still good._' He couldn't help but relate to Stitch. The little alien that found himself in a foreign place and found a family that accepted him even after all the stupid things he'd done. Glancing over at the tiny blue elephant sitting next to him, "I'm going to call you Stitch. But, I'm not Lilo in this situation." He picked Stitch up by the ear and brought him to the wall of glass. Seeing the people on the beach, made him long to be out there too. Turning, he scanned the surrounding area, he didn't see any of his roommates. '_They're either gone or upstairs._' He turned the TV off as commercials started playing. Once it was quiet, he didn't hear anything. '_Gone then._' There was a nagging at the back of his mind that told him they wouldn't just leave him, _**alone**_. '_If no-one's here, then I could go outside for a few minutes before they get back._'He set Stitch on the couch where he would have a good view of all entrances. "You be the lookout." As he opened the door, he felt the nagging again telling him this wasn't a good idea. He chose to ignore it, he shut the door before dashing down the stairs and onto the beach.

He ran up to the water's edge and stared at the cerulean blue waves crashing into the sand. It was hypnotic. He didn't know how long he was staring out into the ocean, but his concentration was broken when something licked his hand. A smile broke across his face as he realized it was BD. He ran up and down the beach with the dog a few times before he broke away and ran under the pier. '_Where's he going?'_"Wait for me!" He took off after BD. As he reached the pier he heard a whimper. Scanning the area, he saw some teenagers messing with BD. "Leave him alone!" The teenagers turned around to face him. Once the attention wasn't on him anymore, BD darted away from the pier. '_Oh great. Desert the person who saved you.' _He looked back over to the kids '_Well I'm technically older than them' _who were advancing towards him.

"What do we have here." The tallest of the group slurred. '_Oh my god...' _

"Are you drunk? It's the middle of the day." He took an involuntary step back.

"So what if we are. It's summer." One with brown hair laughed. Soon the other three joined.

"Aren't you a little too young to know what drunk is?" The blond-haired boy spoke up.

"Look at his face. I bet he's seen '_Daddy' _wasted a few times." The tall one spoke again. He really didn't like the way he said Daddy or what he was implying.

"My '_Daddy_' didn't do anything to me." He replied with disgust in his voice.

"Sure kid. Do you want some?" The tallest one asked waving the beer bottle in his hand. He began shaking his head and stepping away from them.

"Leave him alone, Josh. He's just a kid." The only girl in the group finally responded.

"Uh, He's no fun anyways." The tall one-Josh- said throwing the bottle in his hand at him. In his haste to move he tripped and fell onto the now broken bottle. He felt the impact of the glass into the palm of his hand. Sitting up, he noticed the glass was pretty much embedded in his hand and it was bleeding. Pulling his injured hand closer to his body, he sprinted back to the house. He felt the blood dripping down his arm. '_I'm going to be in so much trouble._' He ran up the stairs and through the door, slamming it closed. Breathing heavily he leaned against it.

"Mike! Where have you been?" He turned his head and saw Briggs coming across the living room from the kitchen. '_Don't cry. Don't cry._' Briggs was now standing right in front of him. "In what world would you think it's okay to wander around by yourself? Anything could of happened!" It took everything he had not to cry. He was beginning to shake. '_Probably from the blood loss._' He could feel it ruining the gray material of the hoodie he was glad he was still wearing.

"Did you find him?" Charlie and Johnny suddenly appeared in the kitchen.

"He just walked in JT." Briggs responded bending down to his level. "Are you okay? You had everyone worried."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry everyone." He mumbled. He felt the tears rising to his eyes and refused to let the fall. He sniffed and sagged more against the door. He shut his eyes hoping it would help him calm down a bit.

"Mike? You're shaking. Are you hurt?" Briggs asked placing a hand on his shoulder. He didn't want to see Briggs reaction, so he just put out his hand. He heard the intake of breath and he was being picked up and moved. He was pretty sure if he opened his eyes he would start bawling, so he decided against it."Jesus Mike. How did this happen?" He was placed onto the counter. "Chuck get the first aid kit. JT get some towels." He heard the water start. "This will probably hurt, Mikey." Briggs spoke gently before plunging his hand under the water. He couldn't hold back the yelp of surprise and pain. Still refusing to open his eyes he just sat there.

"Here." He felt the towels dropped next to him.

"Paul hold him, so I can get the glass out." He really didn't like Charlie's idea. '_This is going to hurt!_' He felt Briggs secure his left arm. He felt the tweezers connect with his skin and he gulped. Not even a second later, a piece of glass was pulled from his hand. He couldn't take it anymore. He opened his eyes and looked at the mess that was his hand. As a second piece was pulled out he couldn't stop the silent tears from rolling down his cheeks. "Shh, baby. Just a few more. Nearly done." Charlie kept up this mantra for the extraction of the remaining glass pieces. Briggs had wrapped him in an awkward one-sided hug and whispered soothing words to him. Johnny had retrieved Stitch from the living room and secured it in his right hand for him. '_Why won't this end' _He begged for this torture to stop.

By the time the last piece of glass was extracted from his palm and it was cleaned and wrapped securely in gauze, he was exhausted. Physically and mentally. He had never had to hold in tears with that amount of effort or have that kind of pain inflicted upon him. '_It only hurt that much because you have a lower pain threshold' _He reminded himself. '_There wasn't even as much blood as you thought. Everything was just scarier because you're a kid now._' He pretty much collapsed into Briggs. He shifted Stitch into the crook of his left arm and curled his injured hand protectively into his chest. He was really cold. Apparently some point during his procedure his jacket was removed, leaving him in his t-shirt only. He shivered and leaned into Briggs even more. Briggs picked him up off the counter and held him to his chest. He snuggled into the warmth and within a few minutes he was asleep.


	7. Chapter 7

**So, I don't know how I feel about this chapter... This chapter isn't my favorite, by far, but tell me what you guys think of it. **

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

**Spoilers: None, but may have references.**

"He had seven shards of glass in his hand, Paul." '_Charlie'_

"Yeah, man it looked like it hurt." '_Johnny'_

"I know I was here. I just don't understand what he was thinking." '_Briggs'_

He opened his eyes and was met with the cabinet door. He shifted and sighed. "I'm sorry." He mumbled into Briggs shoulder. _'How long was I out? Briggs is still holding me. Not long then.' _

"Hey Mikey feeling better?" Charlie always got to the point.

"M'fine." He turned to face the others in the kitchen.

"Now that you're awake, you have some explaining to do." Briggs held a tone that begged no-nonsense. Briggs set him on the counter so everyone had a clear view of him. _'Probably to catch me in a lie'_ He looked between the three occupants in the kitchen before leaning back with a sigh.

"Let me start off by saying I thought everyone was gone. So-"

"You thought we'd leave you here by yourself?" Charlie asked disbelief evident.

"Um, yes. No. I don't know." He rubbed his eye with his non-bandaged hand. "Uh, anyway I wanted to go outside, but no one was around. I figured I could go out for a little bit before anyone noticed." He mumbled the last part to the floor. "BD found me and we played for a little while then he disappeared under the pier. I went to find him and-" He paused for breath. He planned on rushing through the next part of his story. "I fell on a broken bottle. I ran straight back here. And you know what happened after that. " They eyed him suspiciously. _'Please go with it.' _He really didn't want to talk about his stupidity. He approached them and stayed near them even after he felt uncomfortable because they were drunk. They still didn't look convinced so he tried to change tactics. "Was it really bad?" He held out his hand. "I could feel the blood running done my hand and I hoped I wouldn't pass out from blood loss before I got here."

"Aw sweetie." Charlie spoke with a sad smile. He gave a quizzical look. "It wasn't too bad. You had 7- 5 tiny and 2 larger- pieces in your hand. It took a few minutes, but we got them all out and there wasn't too much blood. "

"Oh. Really?" He had a slight blush rise to his cheeks. _'It seemed like a lot more'_

"Does it hurt? Do you want some medicine?" Charlie asked looking at his hand.

"Um, no. I'm okay right now." He replied bringing his hand back towards his chest.

"If I starts to hurt, tell one of us and we'll give you something. Okay?" Charlie told him.

"Okay. " He really didn't like that medicine so he hoped it wouldn't start hurting.

"Now that that's out if the way, we are going to discuss your punishment." Briggs moved into his line of sight. _'I don't like the sound of that.'_ He just stared back at Briggs. "We have come up with a suitable punishment for when you misbehave or do something as idiotic as the stunt you pulled today." He kept his gaze locked with Briggs. "You will sit on the couch, for however long is appropriate per offense. No talking. No moving. No playing. We need to make sure there is not a repeat of today. Understand?"

"Like a timeout?" _'Why are they treating me like a baby, I know what I can and cannot do and how to behave!'_ The little voice popped up again. _'Obviously not'_ it mocked. He sighed. "How long?" He looked down at the floor.

"Ten minutes. " _'Seems fair'_ Briggs lifted him off the counter and set him on the floor. He hung his head and trudged dejectedly towards the couch. Climbing up he sat back and watched the clock hoping the next ten minutes would fly by.

Turns out ten minutes is an extremely long time to sit still and not talk. When the clock reached its mark he all but ran back to the kitchen and into Briggs legs. "I'm sorry. I won't do that again. Ever. I don't want to go back there. Ten minutes is really, really long. " Johnny laughed at his statement. He had heard their whispered discussion, but not what was being said. That conversations had stopped when he entered the kitchen._ 'They're talking about me again' _

"Here Mike. Why don't you go play in the living room for a bit." It wasn't a question. He begrudgingly took Stitch and went out to the living room. He jumped back onto the couch and settled against the pillows. He was getting bored when Paige walked through the door.

"Hey." He sat up straighter. "What's up?" He hoped she would have something that would distract him from the slow throb growing in his hand.

"Hey." She sat down next to him on the couch. "I heard you had a little accident." She gestured to his injured hand.

"Yeah... How did you know?" He asked looking her in the eye.

"Charlie told me. " She leaned in conspiratorially and whispered, "When Briggs found you missing he called everyone to see if we had you. He even sent Johnny out to look for you. If you hadn't walked in when you did, he probably would have freaked. You were missing for almost an hour. Maybe more we don't quite know when you left. " His cheeks burned red again and he felt bad._ 'I didn't mean to worry them, especially Briggs'_ Just then Briggs walked into the living room. Paige walked away when Briggs reached the couch.

Kneeling in front of him, Briggs placed a hand on his shoulder. "Mike, listen. "

He threw his arms around Briggs neck, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you worry. It will never happen again, I promise."

Briggs returned the hug stating, "I know, Mikey. I know." He pushed him back so that their eyes met.

"Mike, listen." Briggs said again. "I have a bust tonight, so you're going to stay here with Johnny, alright?" He was leveled with a questioning stare.

"Oh, okay. When will you be back?" He inwardly cringed. _'Why did you have to ask that? You're acting way too clingy.'_ He just stared back at Briggs waiting for an answer.

"It's probably going to be late. You'll most likely be asleep." He felt a sudden sadness at Briggs' answer.

"Okay." He nodded trying to bury the sadness he was feeling.

"Where is everyone else going to be?" He asked trying to focus on anything other than his emotions.

"Charlie and Paige will be with me and Jakes said he was meeting a CI." Briggs replied. "You and Johnny will have fun, you'll see." He laughed slightly.

Charlie and Paige were suddenly by the door asking Briggs if he was ready to leave. "You're leaving now?" He hated the way his voice wavered.

"We have to set up." Paige answered.

"If it's about earlier, I'm really sorry it won't happen again. I didn't mean it. I swear." He was beginning to sound like a broken record. He locked eyes with Briggs. _'Don't be stupid. Of course that's not the reason. Let him go. You're embarrassing yourself.'_ He realized he was holding onto Briggs wrist and let go. "I'm sorry. I'll stay with Johnny." He got off the couch and walked over to where Johnny was standing and buried his face in the fabric of Johnny's shorts. _'Whatever you do, don't cry.' _

"Mike. I really do have a bust tonight. It has nothing to do with what happened earlier. Okay?" Briggs tried to reassure him. He nodded against Johnny. He didn't trust that he wouldn't cry if he looked at Briggs. Briggs ruffled his hair and moved toward Paige and Charlie.

"We're leaving. You boys be good." Charlie said while opening the door.

"Especially you Johnny. We don't want a repeat of last time." Paige smirked as she walked out the door.

"JT. Mike." Briggs walked out the door.

"What happened last time?" He asked as soon as the door closed.

Johnny laughed. "Well last time I was left alone in the house, I may or may not have had a few girls over... Let's just say I had a lot of cleaning up to do." Johnny laughed again.

He smiled. "What do you want to do?" He asked moving back to the couch. Johnny fell into the couch next to him.

"Hmmm... We could spring for pizza. I'm not in the mood to cook and Charlie would kill me if I let you anywhere near the stove." Johnny suggested turning to face him.

"That sounds good." He smiled.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey... So, I know I told a few of you that I would be posting a few days ago, but life got in the way. So, as a huge thanks for keeping with me, I will be giving you three chapters tonight! And, some point this weekend I will be posting again, because the next few chapters are in review and should be ready soon! Anyway, Thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed and added as a favorite! It really meant a lot and I'm glad you all are enjoying this little story! That being said, on with the story!**

**Disclaimer: Nope. Still not mine.**

**Spoilers: None, but there may be references.**

"I'm bored." He stated setting down the plate with his second piece of pizza only half eaten. Johnny smiled taking another bite of his fourth piece of pizza.

"You've told me." Johnny replied swallowing his bite. "What would you like to do to relieve your boredom?" He added with a smirk.

"Um... I don't know..." He glanced around the living room for inspiration. He was suddenly struck with the greatest idea. With all the childlike amusement he possessed at the moment, he began bouncing up and down on the couch. "We could build a fort. Yeah, it would be awesome and we could use pillows and blankets and the cushions and and..." His excitement at the prospect was getting the better of him. He looked over at Johnny who had the biggest smile he had ever seen the man wear on his face.

"Absolutely! "He shared in his excitement. "Here. Take these to the kitchen and I'm going to move the table and grab some pillows and blankets from upstairs." Johnny thrust the plates in his direction, already moving the table. He smiled up at Johnny, grabbing the plates and hurrying towards the kitchen. Depositing the plates next to the boxes on the counter, he didn't bother cleaning up the mess they made of the counter. He raced back into the living room just as Johnny was taking the stairs two at a time. He was surveying the room when a pile of assorted blankets and pillows was unceremoniously dumped at his feet. "I grabbed just about everything from upstairs." Johnny laughed as he, too, began surveying the room.

"I don't think everyone's going to take to kindly to you ransacking their rooms..."He told him as he spotted pillows from Briggs room, and blankets from Charlie and Paige's rooms, among others.

"I'll put them back before they get back and no one will know." Johnny laughed. "Unless, someone tells them."

Smirking he replied, "I won't tell. I don't have a death wish." He noticed one of Jakes pillows among the pile.

Shaking his head, Johnny grabbed a few pillows and motioned towards the now vacant area in front of the couches. "Let's get started." Smiling he grabbed a blanket and began helping Johnny construct their fort.

Stepping back to admire their hard work, they high-fived at the awesomeness they created. It was pretty elaborate; blankets were draping over the couches and stacks of pillows. There was even an entrance constructed so they didn't have to crawl under anything. "I think we've outdone ourselves." Johnny said as he moved towards the entrance.

"Yeah.." He breathed out in amazement. He followed Johnny to the entrance and Johnny ushered him in first. The inside was even more incredible. They could both sit comfortably next to each other and Johnny's head didn't even touch the top. "Let's take a picture, so the others can see it!" He shouted suddenly.

"Yeah, sure." Johnny responded exiting the fort while pulling out his phone from his pocket. "Oops."

"What?" He questioned crawling out of the fort. He glanced at Johnny who was typing on his phone furiously.

"I forgot to turn my phone off silent."

"Oh."

"Yeah. I have about 30 messages from Briggs, Charlie and Paige asking if we're still al-" He was interrupted by the ringing of his phone. "Speak of the devil." He laughed. "Hello. Yeah everything's fine. No. We ordered pizza. He hasn't said anything about it. No. Yeah. Do you want to talk to him?" At this he perked up as he was the only one here and maybe it was Briggs and he really wanted to talk to him. "Here." Johnny handed him the phone. He grabbed it eagerly.

"Hello." He smiled as Briggs spoke to him through the phone. He hadn't realized how much he actually missed him.

"What have you and Johnny been up to?"

"We ate pizza and..." He glanced at Johnny who shook his head. "And played in the living room."

"How are you feeling? Has your hand bothered you?" Once Briggs mentioned it, he noticed the small throbbing in his hand.

"It's fine. When are you coming home?" He tried to think about something other than the throbbing that was making its presence known after he had paid it attention.

"Well, about that..." He really didn't like the way this conversation was headed. "It's actually going to be a while..."

"Oh..." He really hoped Briggs couldn't hear the disappointment in his voice. He felt his shoulders drop at the admission.

"I'm sorry, Mikey. We'll try to make it home as soon as we can." He heard muffled words over the line and a shuffling of paper. "Okay, listen I have to go. Be good for Johnny okay?"

"Yeah. Okay. Bye." He mumbled handing the phone back to Johnny who took it.

"You're as bad as Charlie with this mother hening." Johnny laughed. "Yeah, okay. Talk to you later." He hung up the phone and opened the camera. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I just-" He was not going to tell Johnny about how much he missed Briggs. "Did you take a picture?" He deflected.

Johnny looked at him curiously for a minute before looking back at the camera. "Yeah. I took a bunch." He replied a moment later. "How's the hand?" Johnny was looking at him expectantly.

"It's fine." He could feel the throbbing again. _'Why couldn't anyone just drop it, so I could push it from my mind.' _He made the mistake of pulling his hand toward his chest. Johnny could tell he was lying. Johnny walked into the kitchen returning a minute later with the clear cup of horrible liquid. "I'm fine. Really." He tried to salvage the situation and get out of ingesting the medicine.

"It'll help." Johnny told him with a pointed look.

He held the gaze shortly before giving in, "Fine." He grabbed the cup and swallowed the liquid in one gulp. He really, really hated the taste of the medicine, even if it did make him feel better.

Johnny took the cup back and deposited on the counter next to the pizza boxes and plates. "Do you want to play in the fort?" He felt his face light up and he nodded. "Alright. Let's go."

They played various games where Johnny flew him around the living room and he couldn't help the squeals of laughter that escaped. He got to be the king of their fort and Johnny was his jester. It was after his last flight around the living room, that he started feeling tired. He had to suppress his yawns and the need to rub at his eyes. Johnny must have noticed because he began dismantling their fort. "Hey. What are you doing?" He asked around a yawn.

"It's time for bed." Johnny replied, not stopping in his actions.

"But, I'm not tired." He yawned.

"Well, I am." Johnny said around his own yawn. "I'm worn out. This is most playing I've done for quite a while." He laughed.

"Oh."_ 'Well if Johnny's tired, I guess I could go to sleep, too' _"But, Briggs isn't back yet." _'Damn. He sounded like a lost puppy'_

"Yeah, but Briggs said they'd be back late." He felt tears well in his eyes at Johnny's statement even though he already knew this._ 'Stupid childish emotions taking over' _"How about we clean up and then we can sit down here and wait for them?" He smiled at Johnny and even though in the back of his mind he knew he wouldn't be able to stay awake, he liked the gesture behind it. He began helping Johnny with tearing down their creation. While Johnny brought all the blankets and pillows back to their respected rooms, he sluggishly made his way to the kitchen picking up Stitch on the way. He felt his eyelids growing heavy as he leaned against the counter. He didn't remember Johnny coming back downstairs or him moving the coffee table back into place or cleaning up the kitchen. He barely recognized that he was being picked up and carried. He relaxed into the hold, clutching Stitch in one hand the fabric of Johnny's shirt in the other.

"You said we could wait up until Briggs got back." He mumbled sleepily into the fabric he was rested against.

"You did." He blearily gazed up to see Briggs holding him. He looked over to see Paige and Charlie standing beside a still sleeping Johnny on the couch. _'When did we get to the couch?' _The last thing he remembered was standing in the kitchen. He sighed, snuggling into Briggs. He really did miss him, even though he really didn't understand why. He just knew he felt a sense of calm and safety. He felt his eyelids shut on their own accord as he was shifted in Briggs' hold. "Go to sleep, Mikey." He couldn't tell if he nodded or not before he succumbed to the nothingness of sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

**This chapter is for a guest who asked about Jakes. He might be slightly OOC, but I feel like he knows random things and would want to help Mike. So, anyway...**

**Disclaimer: Nope. Not mine. **

**Spoilers: None, but there may be references. **

He had only one thought on his mind as he made his way downstairs and that was to get the throbbing in his hand to stop. It didn't hurt nearly as bad yesterday as it did now. He could tell he was close to tears and really hoped no one was around to see. He was extremely thankful that after Johnny had given him some last night he had left the bottle near the edge of the counter. He clumsily grabbed the bottle dropping it to the floor with a thud before hastily picking it up and attempting to open it. He had only one hand to use and the stupid bottle was child locked._ 'Why does this have to be so hard! Stupid kid hands. Stupid kid strength. Stupid. Stupid..' _He felt the tears silently running down his cheeks and he just wanted to throw something in his frustration. He settled for the medicine bottle. He flung it across the kitchen. Wiping the tears away, he waited for the thud that signaled that it had hit the wall, but it never came. He glanced up to see Jakes standing in the entryway holding the small plastic bottle. "Good shot, kid." Jakes walked over to the counter unscrewing the cap as he approached. He poured some of the medicine in the clear cup and handed it to him. "Here."

"Thanks." He sniffled trying to wipe away all the remaining tears. He didn't want to look at Jakes. He didn't want to be seen as weak.

"I heard about yesterday. How's your hand? Can I look at it?" Jakes spoke a level of calm patience he had never heard before. He just held his hand, while nodding. Jakes lifted him up on the counter and slowly began to unwrap his hand. The tears were once again rolling down his face and he couldn't help it. "It's a little red and swollen, but nothing to bad." He looked at his hand and winced it looked as good as it felt. He had no idea what Jakes was talking about with it not being to bad. "I'm going to put some Neosporin on and rewrap it, okay?" He nodded, closing his eyes tightly against the inevitable pain. When his hand was wrapped up tightly once again, he sagged against the cabinets. His eyes were still squeezed shut and he was trying to ride out the pulses of pain shooting through his hand. "Are you okay?" Taking a deep breath, he nodded slowly. He figured he didn't look too great with the tears freely falling, the tightly closed eyes and the controlled breathing. So, he was surprised when he heard Jakes moving things, opening cabinets and drawers before asking him if he wanted to help him. He opened his eyes looking over at a tear blurred Jakes.

"With what?" His voice betrayed him with a slight tremble.

"I was thinking about creating an ocean in here." It was said casually, but his interest was now peaked.

"An indoor ocean?" The disbelief was evident and it was taking place of the tremble.

"Yep."

"How?" He was fully alert now.

Jakes shrugged and said, "I guess you'll have to help me to see."

"What do I have to do?" He sat up straight ready to take any order.

"So, you're interested? I need a plastic bottle. Do you think you could get one?" Jakes asked with a smile.

"Um...Yeah!" He gingerly got off the counter and walked to the fridge. Pulling open the door, he grabbed the almost empty water bottle he knew was on the shelf. "Here!" He brought the bottle to Jakes while the fridge shut on its own.

"Thanks. Alright come here. I have everything else we need." Jakes stated while lifting him back up on the counter by the sink. "We're going to make the ocean in the bottle." He motioned the bottle. "What color would you like the ocean to be? " Jakes gestured to an assortment of food coloring sitting next to him on the counter.

"Blue. I like blue. It's my favorite color. "

"Alright. Sounds good." He picked up the blue dye. "Do you want to add it?" He knew his eyes widened and he nodded excitedly. Jakes handed him the dye and he added two drops into the water. Jakes took the dye back and swirled the dye into the water. "Would you like to add some glitter?" He thought the idea of glitter was girly, but he really liked that it was shiny. He decided he did want some to go into the bottle. "Can you hold the bottle still while I add the glitter?" He hastily complied. "Good. Are ready to add the oil?"

"Yes."

"I need you to continue holding the bottle while I put the oil in okay?"

"Okay." Jakes nodded at him before pouring the oil into the bottle.

"Alright. I'm just going to add some glue around the top of the bottle and screw the lid on and then we'll see how it turned out." He could barely contain his excitement, slightly bouncing on the counter-top. "What do you think?" Jakes handed him the bottle. He turned it on its side an watched in amazement as the water flowed like waves.

"Wow." He couldn't come up with any other words to describe the bottle in front of him.

Jakes laughed, "Well, it's yours kid." He began cleaning up the slight mess they made of the kitchen.

"Are you sure? I just helped you make it." He asked looking back at Jakes.

"Yeah, it's fine. You'll get more out of it than I will."

"Okay." He went back to looking at the creation in the bottle.

"What are you doing, Mikey?" Johnny asked as he leaned against the counter he was sitting on.

"Hmm." He was so focused on the motion of the waves in the bottle that he didn't notice the other members of Graceland wander into the kitchen.

"Hello. Earth to Mike." Johnny was waving his hand in front of the bottle effectively breaking the spell the movement was creating. He blinked furiously before looking at Johnny. He noticed everyone was staring at him._ 'When did they get here'_ He looked back over at Johnny with a confused look.

"What?" He couldn't hide the confusion in his voice. He hadn't heard him come in or speak to him before he was waving his hand in front of his face.

"I was just wondering what you were doing."

"Oh. Um... I was..." He lifted the bottle up and began watching the moving waves again.

"Well, I guess we found a way to keep him busy." Johnny laughed only to receive a small elbow to the ribs.

"I can hear you, you know. I am right here." He reached up and rubbed at his eye. With all the crying he had done earlier, his eyes were becoming very itchy. He knew he must still look like a wreck if the concerned gazes were anything to go by. Mid-rub, he pulled his hand down and stared at it. It didn't hurt as bad anymore. It was just a slight throbbing. Not that pulsating pain that had reduced him to tears.

"You okay?" Charlie's concern broke him out of his musings.

"Yeah." He looked at the bottle then to Jakes who was leaning across the counter next to the bar stools. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it." Jakes shrugged it off and he couldn't help but smile.

Gazing at the faces of his roommates and their semi-confused looks, he smiled even bigger before asking, "What's for breakfast?"


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: Not Mine.**

**Spoilers: None, but there might be references.**

_ 'Why do they eat so __**slow**__' _He stared at his empty bowl of Froot Loops and was aimlessly swinging his legs around the stool. He sighed and laid his forehead down on the counter. The mindless chatter that was floating around the kitchen did nothing for him. He wanted to _do_ something._ 'Seriously, how long does it take to eat.' _He needed them to be finished so maybe he could convince someone to take him outside. He was never one to stay indoors when he could go out. He knew it would probably take a lot of convincing after the stunt he pulled yesterday. He stared at his hand the felt the routine throbbing he was now unfortunately accustomed to. He felt he deserved it as punishment and as long as it didn't get too bad like it had been that morning he figured he could live with it. Johnny's question abruptly pulled him from his silent musings,"Is there any news on Mikey's situation?" He perked up lifting his head off the counter and turning his full attention on Briggs. He noticed everyone had gone quiet and was also waiting for Briggs' reply.

Briggs sighed before crossing his arms over his chest, He locked eyes with him before answering, "Yeah, actually." He saw Briggs shift slightly. "The Bureau has been working diligently trying to find a way to reverse the effects of the drug you were given...And they have concluded that it just has to run its course." There was something akin to sadness in Briggs' eyes as he said this. All the air left his lungs and he couldn't breathe. _'Run its course? Run its course? What does that he even mean' _He felt tears begin to prick behind his eyes._ 'Don't cry.' _He all but growled to himself. He didn't want to look at anyone. They would see him as a baby, because he was crying again. _'Stupid emotions. I hate this. This isn't fair.'_ He slammed his hand down on the counter. The anger he felt only blocking out the pain it caused for a moment as he realized it was his injured hand that had connected with the counter. Staring in disbelief at his hand that was still resting on the counter, he couldn't suppress the yelp of surprise as pain shot up his arm. The tears wouldn't be held back any longer and began flowing rapidly down his face. "It's not fair. It's not fair." He was sobbing now and couldn't stop. After his outburst, his roommates had gone quiet just staring at him. When Briggs made a move towards him, he throw himself back, landing on the floor with a thud. He bit back a cry as he snatched Stitch off the counter and raced up the stars as fast as his legs would carry him. He ran into his room shutting and locking the door before curling up in a ball on the floor by his bed. _'How long am I going to be stuck like this?' _He wanted to know the answer, but at the same time he didn't.

"Mike? Are you okay? Open the door." He could hear Briggs' trying the handle.

"Go away." The sobs choking his words.

"Mike, come on. It will be okay."

"No it won't, Briggs'. What if I'm stuck like this forever?" He was crying even harder now that he voiced the one thing he didn't want to think about.

"We'll cross that bridge when and if we get there."

"Just leave me alone." He buried his face into Stitch and curled in even more on himself. The sobs still coming as the tears rolled down his face.

"Fine, Mike. If you want to be alone for a little while, I will leave you alone. But, we need to talk about this. I will be downstairs when you are ready to talk." With that Briggs walked away from the door. At Briggs' departure he felt himself begin to cry harder, his emotions overtaking him.

He awoke a time later. _'I must of cried myself to sleep' _He unfurled himself and sat up, propped against the bed. His eyes itched and he had a slight headache from all the crying he had done. _'I better go downstairs' _Grabbing Stitch by the ear, he unlocked the door and slowly made is way downstairs. He didn't know what to expect after his outburst. On the third step, he registered the pain that was back in his hand again. _'It probably didn't help anything that I slammed it against the counter' _He felt as if he could cry again, but he was out of tears. Trudging into the kitchen, he spotted all his roommates still there and having a whispered conversation that abruptly ended when they spotted him._ 'Great. They're talking about me again' _"I'm sorry." He mumbled to the floor as he grabbed the medicine from the counter. Bringing it over to Briggs, he didn't say anything just handed the bottle to him, hoping it would be opened quickly. He drank the liquid gratefully. His eyes never leaving the floor. Suddenly, he was picked up and braced against a familiar chest. Out of habit he nuzzled into the fabric of Briggs' shoulder. "I'm sorry." He whispered again.

"Don't apologize. You have nothing to be sorry for. It wasn't exactly the news you wanted to hear." He had to laugh at the understatement. "I know this must be difficult for you, but you can't shut us out like that. You can't shut me out like that."

"I know... It's just that... I hate this. Feeling like I could cry at any second and trying to control all the childish impulses. It's so hard and I just want..everything to go back to how it was when I was normal. I could leave whenever I wanted and I didn't have to climb on things to reach anything." He sighed and just clung more to Briggs' even though that probably didn't help with the point he was trying to make.

"I know, buddy. I know. All of us want that. But, we're just going to have to see how this plays out. Okay?" He nodded against Briggs. "How about tonight we go to the beach? It would be like old times. What do you say?" At the prospect of going outside, he perked up, enthusiastically nodding his head. "It's settled then, tonight we will go to the fire pit." He could feel the smile light up his whole face.


	11. Chapter 11

** So, I know I said I would have a chapter up over the weekend, but it took longer than expected for review. That being said, I now have three chapters that are ready for posting. **

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed and added this story as a favorite. It is greatly appreciated and the feedback makes me realize people enjoy it. **

**Disclaimer: Still not mine.**

**Spoilers: None, but there could be references.**

The time had come and he was jumping up and down pulling Briggs down the beach with the others following or slightly ahead of them. "Come on." He pulled harder on Briggs' hand hoping it would make the man go faster.

"Calm down, Mike. The fire isn't going anywhere." Briggs' replied pulling back to make him slow down. "You're going to fall if you aren't careful."

"I won't fall." He said as he stumbled in the sand. He felt his face heat up and he was never more glad that it was dark out and no one could see his face. He didn't look at Briggs already knowing he would be met with a knowing smirk of 'I told you so.' He released Briggs' hand when they reached the fire and dropped into the sand between Charlie and Paige, but made sure he was across from where Briggs was going to sit. For some reason he needed to see him. _'You are super clingy. I hope you realize that.' _He scoffed at his internal dialogue. He noticed Johnny was passing around drinks. A water bottle was given to him. He looked at it then at Johnny with a confused expression.

"I'm not giving you a beer, Mikey. Charlie and Briggs would probably kill me." He laughed, but his eyes were serious.

"No. I know. I just... Why couldn't I have juice or something besides water?" _'Juice?'_

"We don't have any juice. Maybe we can get some from the store." Johnny responded as he took his place on the other side of Charlie.

"Okay." He mumbled as he opened the bottle and took a drink. He hadn't realized how thirsty he was until half the bottle was gone.

"Who wants to start story time." Briggs' asked the group.

"I got this." Johnny was eager to tell his story. "So, this is the story of King Mikey." He choked on his water. He was not expecting Johnny's tale to be about him. He felt a hand rubbing soothing circles on his back. When he regained his composure and wiped the few tears from his eyes, he thanked Charlie and locked eyes with Johnny. A silent conversation passed between the two, but Johnny smirked and continued on with the story. "King Mike was the ruler of a the empire known as Graceland."

"Wouldn't that make him an emperor?"

"Don't interrupt my story Jakes!" Johnny shook his head in disbelief. "Anyway, he was a young benevolent king. He was still pretty green. Only been on the job for a few weeks. One night, he asked his handsome, loyal and all around great court jester to help him." He felt his face flush crimson and he suddenly found the sand in front of him very interesting. _'He's going to tell about the games we played last night. Crap. I played like a kid last night.' _He groaned._ 'As if they didn't already see you as a little kid, this will surely seal the deal' _He placed his head in his hands and refused to look at anyone. The embarrassment taking over. "He wanted a fort constructed in the living room of pillows and blankets. Might I add that it was spectacular."_'Yes. Drive the conversation away from your childishness.'_

"It was super awesome!" He interrupted and couldn't help the enthusiasm that colored his voice. "There was a grand entrance and Johnny moved the tables and we spread it over the couches and, and it was super high inside and, and Johnny could sit in it without his head touching the top and um and it was super AWESOME!" He engulfed air. He was almost positive he hadn't taken a breath through his entire description. He noticed he was bouncing slightly with excitement and immediately went still. Still trying to control his breathing he looked at those gathered around the fire. They stared back at him with amusement.

"Thank you Mike for that wonderful description." Johnny smirked at him, clearly not annoyed with his interruption as he had been with Jakes earlier. Johnny continued regaling the tale of King Mikey and his loyal jester. It made everyone laugh and he was glad that he let Johnny finish the tale. It was surprising good and he didn't feel like it made him seem childish. "Alright, who's next?"

"I got one." Paige offered. He listened as she told them of the bust last night. Halfway through, he recognized the feeling of needing to answer nature's call. He started squirming. _'You shouldn't have had all that water' _He looked back at the house and saw how long and dark the journey was going to be. He whimpered and squirmed more. _'You can do it. You can do it. You can-'_

"Mike? What's wrong kiddo?" Charlie was quick to ask. She was suddenly closer to him.

"I-I-I need to pee, but it's dark and long and..." The sand was once again very interesting. "Will you take me?" He hated himself for saying that. _'Baby'_

"Sure, I already know what will happen in this story. Let's go." She stood up offering him her hand which he hastily took. Jumping to his feet, he began pulling Charlie similar to how he had pulled Briggs.

"Chuck?"

"Don't worry Paul, it's just a bathroom break." He heard the chuckle in her voice as well as the chorus of chuckles from the others, but he really couldn't focus on anything other than making it up the beach. He was never so happy to open the door to Graceland in his life. He let go of Charlie and raced into the bathroom.

Emerging a few minutes later, drying his hands on his jeans he remarked, "How come we never seem to have towels in there when I need them. I hate using my pants."

"I don't know sweetie."Charlie replied with a smile. "Here." She handed him his jacket. "I washed it, don't worry." He was looking at it confused, but not for the reasons she thought.

"Um. Why do I need a jacket? It's not cold." He glanced at the blue and white baseball tee he was wearing and his jeans. They were warm enough.

"It's suppose to rain later and the breeze rolling in with the waves is dropping the temperature." She must have sensed his doubt because she followed with, "Please. For me?" He shrugged on the jacket. He couldn't refuse. Smiling back at Charlie, he grabbed her hand and pulled her back toward the beach. As soon as he was out the door he felt the shiver roll through him and was glad Charlie had made him wear a jacket. They returned to the spaces in front of the fire. He listened as everyone shared another story or two. He didn't have anything to share and the others didn't press him. As the night wore on he began to feel the familiar tiredness begin to take hold._ 'I'm now programmed to go to sleep by 9. This sucks' _He decided to just lay down in the sand instead of making someone take him inside. Laying his head on Charlie's leg, he snuggled into the sand. As a hand began to card itself through his hair he felt himself drift off. He awoke when Charlie shifted her leg. He sat up rubbing his eyes. "Sorry, Mikey."

"S'kay." He mumbled around a yawn. He could feel his head dropping.

"Alright, kiddo. Time for bed." He was seized and brought to Briggs' chest. Clutching the fabric he tried to burrow into him. He was cold and it was amplified due to his tiredness.

"You got this parent thing down, Briggs." Johnny laughed as they all walked up the beach toward the house. Some look must have passed above him between Briggs and Johnny. "Chill. I meant it as a compliment."

"You are very good with him." Paige added knowingly. "He seeks comfort from you." He really hated that they talked about him when they thought he was asleep. Nevertheless, his sleep muddled brain felt it needed to add to the conversation going on around him.

"S'true." He muttered against Briggs' neck. Snuggling closer to Briggs.

"I'm glad, Mikey." Briggs whispered rubbing his back. Before he knew it he was in his bed with Stitch in his hand. "Goodnight, Mikey."

"Night Briggs." He turned on his side, nestled into the pillows and fell in the serene nothingness.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

**Spoilers: None. References to Pizza Box.**

The thunder echoed loudly in the silent atmosphere. He sprang up with memories of a gun report flashing through his head. His breaths coming in fast pants. Lightning illuminated the room. "Just a storm. Everything's fine. It's just a storm." He breathed out. The next clap of thunder had him jumping out of bed and running out the door. He didn't bother knocking as he barreled into Briggs' room and up on his bed. He hastily threw back the covers and buried himself in Briggs' side.

"Mike?"The sleep muddled Briggs' voice. "What are you doing?" Another clap of thunder and he whimpered. "Are you scared of the storm?" He didn't trust his voice so he attempted to fuse himself with Briggs' side. He could hear the rain pelting against the window. Another flash of lightning lit up the room and he looked up to see a very concerned Briggs. "Come here." Briggs turned and wrapped his arm around his trembling body. He hated that he was showing this type of weakness. Especially after the talk they had earlier that day or was it yesterday. He glanced at the clock taking in the blank face. The power must have gone out. He didn't think he could get any closer to Briggs as he was in that moment, but he was wrong. When the next boom sounded he pushed himself even more into Briggs. At the rate he was going, in a few minutes they would be one person. "It's okay, Mikey. It's okay. "Briggs was rubbing circles up and down his back and he discovered that it was actually calming him. "What's scaring you about the storm? The noise? Or how loud it is?" He didn't know why Briggs wanted to talk about it, but he felt compelled to answer.

"It-It sounds like a gun." He whispered brokenly into the fabric of Briggs' shirt. He felt Briggs' tense at his reply. Then Briggs' grip around his small body tightened and he felt safer. He could feel the protectiveness rolling off of Briggs.

"It's okay. I'm sorry you had to see that." He didn't know how Briggs knew why he didn't like the sound of a gunshot. "I will try my best to make sure nothing like that ever happens again." He nodded against him. He felt the adrenaline wearing off and his eyelids were beginning to grow heavy. With a slight spark the clock began blinking 12:00 in neon red. _'Good._ _The power's back' _He yawned and shifted more comfortably against Briggs. The arm around him tightened again.

"Try to get some sleep, Mike." He nodded. Within minutes he was fast asleep. Johnny barging in was what woke him up and if Briggs reaction was anything to go by, he also didn't appreciate this wake up call. "What? Johnny." Briggs rolled over to face the door.

"Dude, The waves are sick! Seriously, even Jakes is thinking of going." Johnny's enthusiasm or maybe that even Jakes was going, lead to Briggs sighing and rolling out of bed.

"You coming Mike." He slowly removed himself from Briggs' warm bed.

"Yeah. I'll get dressed." He crawled of the bed and walked out of the room. He walked downstairs a few minutes later dressed in a red t-shirt and black board shorts. He had run a comb through his hair after brushing his teeth, but since he was probably going to get wet, he didn't feel the need to do much to it. Briggs and Paige were standing by the door.

"You ready, kiddo?" Briggs asked opening the door.

"Yeah." He followed them out. He could see Johnny and Jakes already out on the water. Charlie was sitting on a towel, watching. Paige joined Charlie on the towel.

Briggs knelt in front of him. "You're okay with playing on the beach with Paige and Charlie, right?"

"Yeah. I'm still not very good at surfing and in this state, it seems rather difficult." He had motioned towards his small frame.

"Okay, well if you need anything, we're all here."

"Okay, have fun." Briggs walked towards the ocean and he went to sit next to Charlie and Paige. He knew it was completely irrational to miss Briggs when he could clearly see him in the ocean. But, he still did.

"How are you feeling this morning, Levi?" He looked up at Paige after her inquiry.

"Fine. I guess." He shrugged. He didn't really know what to shot him a quizzical look._ 'What does she know' _He looked back at the water in time to see Johnny eat it. His smile turned into laughter and he was soon joined by Charlie and Paige.

"Do you want to jump waves, Mike?" Paige asked him.

He looked at the water and then at her before nodding vigorously. "Yes ma'am." He stood up brushing sand off his shorts before holding his hand out for Paige to take. He made quick work of dragging her into the jumped countless waves before his legs began to tire. "Do you want to build a sand castle?"

"Sure. Come on." She led him to an area of unoccupied beach in front of Charlie who was still watching those on the waves. As time passed and their castle grew to extraordinary heights, he watched the others leave the beach. Jakes was the first to leave. They had barely started constructing the castle when he walked past saying he had a meeting to get to. Charlie left when they were finishing the first story. Johnny and Briggs washed ashore when they were beginning the third story.

"Paige, do you think you could watch him for a little while?" He looked up at Briggs and Paige for a minute.

"Where are you going?" He stared at Briggs, hoping to convey what he was feeling without having to voice it out loud.

"I have some errands I need to run." He stated simply. Clearly Briggs was not getting his silent communication.

"Can I come?"

"Not this time, Mikey." Briggs responded behind a sigh.

"Oh." He looked back down at the elaborate castle they were constructing.

"Don't worry. He'll be fine. I'll watch him." Paige half whispered to Briggs.

"Mikey, listen to Paige. If you're good, you might get a present when I return." He perked up at present.

"I'm always good." He retorted with a huff. "I'm not five." Realizing his mistake, he hastily added "Mentally." Smiles crept up Paige and Briggs' faces.

"Okay, Mikey." Briggs ruffled his hair as he walked past. "I'll see you in a bit." That dreaded feeling he got when Briggs left was making itself known.

"Want to add more the castle? I think it could use another story. And a moat." Paige instantly pushed that feeling away and he was able to focus on his castle.

"Yeah. This will be as awesome as the blanket fort." They continued to work diligently for another half hour or so. "Done."

"Sure looks good. Want to take a picture before we have to leave and either someone or the waves destroy it?"

"Yeah! Then it can go with the pictures of the blanket fort!"

"There are pictures of the blanket fort?"

"Yeah. Johnny has them on his phone." Paige continued to look at him for a minute before taking out her phone and snapping a few pictures.

"There you go. Let's head in." She said as she picked up the meager belongings they had with them.

"I don't want to go. I want to stay here." He whined._ 'Did I really just whine'_

"Mike we can come back later. Let's go in and grab a bite to eat."

"I don't want to! I'm not hungry. I want to stay here!"_ 'Stop whining. Act like a grown man and walk inside. This can only end bad'_

"Mike." She fixed him with an impressive stare. "We're going." She held her hand out for him to take.

"No." He stated firmly before pushing her hand away.

"Mike. This is your last chance to walk in on your own and avoid time out." She held her hand out again._'Just go!'_

"I don't want a time out." He felt the tears well. _'Don't cry over the prospect of time out. I'm warning you.'_ Paige took his hand and led him up the beach to the house as he cried silently. When they walked through the door, Paige ordered him to the couch and he lost it. He threw himself on the floor and cried harder almost to the point of sobbing. "I don't want a time out. They're boring. I don't like them." He cried into the floor. "Please. I'm sorry. I'll be good. I'll listen." He brought his knees to his chest as his wailing continued. "Please. Please. I'm sorry. Don't tell Briggs. I won't get a present. Please."

"Mike." He looked up to see Paige kneeling in front of him. "Calm down, okay." She laid her hands on his shoulders. He nodded once before flinging himself at Paige. She rolled back with him and they landed in some awkward hug with him on top of her. "Shh. It's okay. Shh. Mikey." She was gently running a hand through his hair and up and down his back.

When he was sure he had effectively calmed down, he pulled away from Paige. "I'm sorry." He offered weakly. He began rubbing his eyes and he knew he looked more like an actual five-year old in the moment than he had since he changed.

"It's okay. Are you tired? Do you want to lay with me on the couch for a while." He just nodded and waited as Paige picked him up and brought them over to the couch. She sat down and laid him down in a similar fashion to how he laid on Charlie last night on the beach. With his head in her lap, she began carding her hand through his hair and whispering reassurances to him. He snuggled into her and the couch cushions. _'I'm such a baby. What is wrong with me?' _"It's okay, Mikey. Go to sleep." He felt his body give in to the gentle command. _'What is going on with me?' _


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

**Spoilers: None, but there are potential references.**

"I don't know. He just started throwing a tantrum. No a real tantrum. Do you think the chemicals he was given are beginning to affect him more? Making him an actual five-year old? No, he's not back yet. I don't know how Mike will react if I tell him. He may freak out again. I think I'll let everyone know when they get back. That way we can all keep an eye on him. Okay. See you soon. Bye." As Paige ended her phone call he remained still hoping to play that he was still asleep and hadn't heard every word since he awoke. Paige shifted him on the couch and stood. He felt her leave the room and gave up the pretense of sleep. He rolled on his back and stared up at the ceiling._ 'What is wrong with me? I'm acting like a kid. How long is this going to last? What if I'm stuck like this forever?' _He was so preoccupied with thoughts swirling in his head that he didn't realize Paige had come back into the room and was asking him something.

"Hmm." He turned to look at her. "What did you say?"

"I asked if you were hungry. Johnny said he would stop and get something for you."

"I'm not hungry. Tell Johnny thanks though." He sat up and moved off the couch. "If it's okay with you, I think I want to go to my room for a bit." He didn't wait for a response as he made his way upstairs and into his room. He locked the door to make sure he wouldn't be interrupted in his musings. He walked into the bathroom, climbing on the toilet and staring at himself in the mirror. He didn't think he looked younger than he had earlier, but he definitely felt younger. His emotions had bubbled to the surface and he felt as if anything would set him into another meltdown like this morning. He felt scared and ashamed. _'This shouldn't be happening. I should be worrying whether I need to shave tomorrow, not whether it will take years before I can even contemplate the idea again.' _Glancing into the mirror, he hated to see the wide fearful expression reflected at him. He was about to lash out against the reflection when he remembered his hand and pulled back. He stared down at his hand for a minute before tearing the bandage off to see the damage that was still present. The cuts were far from healed, but they weren't as swollen as yesterday, but they were still an angry red. He ran his hand under cool water before hoping off the toilet and tossing himself on his bed. He didn't care that he was wrinkling the comforter. He stretched out on his stomach with his face pressed against the fabric. He didn't know how much time had passed, but he heard the slamming of doors and a cacophony of voices. He figured everyone was back and he should venture downstairs. He didn't want to, but he needed to keep up his charade of being fine and still like himself. Walking downstairs and into the kitchen he saw Johnny and Paige helping Charlie put groceries away, while Briggs leaned against a counter listening to Paige talk about his outburst. There was concern in Briggs' eyes and he knew he was the cause, even though none of his roommates noticed his presence.

"He went upstairs after he woke up. I checked on him a few times, but he locked the door." Paige barely finished before Briggs was already demanding answers.

"Is he okay? Did you talk to him? Through the door or anything?" Briggs was already making his way out of the kitchen when he ran into him. He had come out from behind the wall and right into Briggs. He landed on the ground with an oomph. "Mike. I'm sorry. Are you okay?" Briggs asked as he helped him to his feet. He just nodded. He didn't trust his voice anymore. He could feel the emotions ready to explode from him. _'Get a hold of yourself' _

"Can I have my present now?" He looked up at Briggs with expectant eyes.

Briggs smiled, "Were you good for Paige, Mikey?"

He looked at Paige as he responded, "Of course." to see if she would contest it. She didn't. He glanced back at Briggs with a huge smile. If Briggs noticed their interaction he didn't comment on it.

"Okay. Here." He knew his face lit up as soon as Briggs produced his present.

"THANKS!" He started jumping up and down. "Thank you. Thank you. THANK YOU!" He grabbed the tub from Briggs and went to the living room to dump it. He had it as a kid and it was one of his favorite things. He immediately set to work to build extraordinary structures out of the tiny wooden logs. The set Briggs got him was a medieval castle set. First the blanket fort, then the sand castle and now this, he was beginning to see a pattern. But, he didn't care. He forgot all about his emotions from before, he was now very focused on his castle building.

"I guess you picked the right present." He listened as Charlie talked to Briggs.

"I'm a great gift giver. Every Christmas we've had together is a testament to that." Briggs laughed. He started listening to them less. Focusing solely on the task at hand. He only shifted his attention slightly as he heard Paige bring up his outburst from earlier.

"I think he might be more affected than we initially thought." _'Great way to start a conversation' _

"Why?" Johnny asked with concern evident in his usually cheerful voice.

"He threw a tantrum when we came back from the beach. Like a real tantrum." He felt many eyes shift towards him, but he pretended not to notice. His castle was almost done and he decided to focus on that. Before a FBI agent, he wanted to be an architect because he liked to design marvelous buildings. He always excelled at construction and design. But, then he saw the evil in the world and he wanted to fix it. His goal switched and he wanted nothing more than to be in the FBI. His passion for design and construction took a backseat, so he could achieve his ultimate goal of being Director of the FBI. Drawn out of his reflection by Briggs kneeling in front of him; he noticed a deep concern in his eyes and he hated that he caused it. He didn't want Briggs to worry about him.

"You are quite the architect, Levi." He eyed Briggs cautiously wondering if the older man could read minds and just never told him. "Are you feeling alright? Paige told me you locked yourself in your room earlier." His tone was soft, gentle even and he couldn't help thinking that Briggs was talking to him like he was a child.

"I'm fine. I just needed to think about a few things." His gaze never left the castle he was creating.

"If something's wrong, you need to tell us, Mike." He still didn't look at Briggs. "We just want to make sure you're alright. That you aren't experiencing any complications." _'Like my emotions going haywire' _

"I said I'm fine. If anything happens I'll tell you." He finished his castle. However, he stared at it hoping Briggs would drop the subject.

"Okay, Mikey." He patted his arm as he stood up and walked back into the kitchen. He was glad his dexterity was still intact, but he wished he would have built his castle slower. For now, he didn't have anything to keep him, especially his mind, occupied. Looking at his castle one last time, he stood up and followed Briggs into the kitchen. He was grateful he decided to build his castle next to the wall. It was safe there. No one would trip over it, which meant he didn't have to dismantle it. He hopped on his stool and watched as Charlie began dinner.

"Can I help?" He asked always eager to lend a hand and desperately wanting a distraction.

Charlie shot him her warmest smile before saying, "Absolutely. I can always use someone who knows their way around the kitchen." He smiled and pulled his stool around the counter to help. It took a great deal of effort, for the stool was almost twice his size and it definitely weighed more than him now. The direct contact with his injured hand didn't help. He was regretting his decision to take the bandage off, now. Charlie must have noticed his discomfort because she scooped him up, set him on the counter and began cleaning his hand before re-wrapping it. "What happened to the other bandage?" She finished wrapping his tiny hand.

"I wanted to see the damage, so I took it off." He shrugged his shoulders. She handed him half a cup of the medicine. He shot her a puzzled look.

"You're going to need both hands to help me. And I don't want you to experience any pain or discomfort."

"Okay..." He swallowed the liquid with a wince. He was never going to like the taste of it.

"Alright. Now, we can start dinner." He was tasked with mixing, sprinkling and pouring various ingredients. He was under no circumstances to go near or touch either the stove or oven. It didn't take too long to finish their meal, but he was thankful for the diversion it provided. "Go call the knuckleheads for dinner."

"Yes, ma'am." He nodded with a salute before jumping off the stool and dashing up the stairs. He knocked on every door before opening it and excitedly telling the occupant that dinner was ready. He made his way back downstairs followed by those he summoned. "I got them." He smiled as he went to stand next to the table.

"Good boy. You can have the first plate." He smiled at that. He didn't care that they probably would have given him first plate anyway. He grabbed his plate and with a little help, he was able to fill it and bring it to the table. He sat on his knees so it would be easier for him to reach the table. He was soon joined by the other members of Graceland. They enjoyed a family dinner. Almost how it was before he changed. He relished in the conversations and the animated atmosphere.

In the back of his mind, he knew it wouldn't last though. The feelings from earlier had begun to return throughout dinner. The conversations weren't providing enough of an escape. _'After dinner, I'm going to find a movie to watch to keep my mind occupied until it is acceptable to go to sleep.'_ He knew he could go to sleep whenever, but if he went too soon it would raise suspicion. He felt exhausted deep into his bones. He knew it probably wasn't normal and it probably had to do with his taxing emotions. He hoped tomorrow he would feel better. There was a strange feeling settling itself deep within him. _'I'll worry about that later. For now, I just need to worry about making it through dinner and movie, without losing it' _He returned his focus to the current conversations as dinner neared its end.

**His present by the way was a set of _Lincoln Logs_. They are the greatest thing ever! I loved them as a kid!**


	14. Chapter 14

**There was a Disney reference in the finale! A _Lion King _reference at that! It's my favorite Disney movie! It made me super happy, all things considered. Anyway, now we have to wait until next summer for new episodes. It's like Suits all over again. I'm still not sure how I made it through that 'hiatus'... It must have been all the fanfiction I read. I digress, on with the story!**

**Thanks for all the reviews, favorites and follows! It means so much to know other people enjoy my writing!**

** Disclaimer: Everything belongs to their respectful owners.**

**Spoilers: None. Potential references.**

After dinner, he was ordered to the living room while the others cleaned up. His roommates were adamant about not letting him near the sink after the mess he made with the dishes. He didn't mind though. It meant he could find a movie to occupy him. He sat back on the couch and turned the TV on. He saw that _The Lion King _was on again, but it was the end. He watched as Simba made his way back to the Pridelands and took his place as the rightful king. The credits began to roll and another movie started, when the channel was abruptly changed. Blinking in surprise, he turned to the culprit, "I was watching that!" He grabbed the remote and changed it back in time for the white castle to appear on a blue background. He leaned back, crushing both the remote and Stitch to his chest. The Great Wall of China appeared and was soon overrun by the Huns. He felt Johnny lean into the couch next to him. By the time Mulan had lied her way into the army, all of his housemates were watching the movie intently. He found himself atop someone's lap so everyone could be seated comfortably, but he didn't want to tear his eyes away from the screen to see who's knee he was now perched on top of. He knew it was coming. He hadn't seen this movie in a while, but he knew it was coming. It was like with _The Lion King, _he still knew the words and when they began, he couldn't help singing along. It's a very motivational song if you think about it. Captain Shang moved Mulan to become the best she could be by basically telling her she wasn't good enough. The battle scenes were intense and he felt himself holding his breath through them. It was a Disney movie, so he subconsciously knew it would all turn out okay, but with the childishness that had taken residence in his brain he was fearing the end of the movie.

"A little invested there, weren't ya Mikey?" He glared at Johnny as the credits began to roll. He snapped his attention back to the television when another movie was starting. He shifted and turned to finally see that he was sitting on Briggs' lap. He should have known. He relaxed against Briggs and stared intently at the screen waiting for the next movie to start. "Are we watching this movie too?"

"Yes." He left no room for argument. If they didn't want to watch it they could leave. He needed the distraction.

"Fine. But, I'm making popcorn. Who wants some?" Johnny asked while standing up from the couch. A chorus of replies filtered through the air. "Kay."

"Hey, Johnny will you grab me a beer?" Briggs asked from behind him.

"Yeah, me too." Jakes told him.

"How about you grab something for everyone?" Charlie said from her place on the other side of him and Briggs.

"Yeah, sure." Johnny was bringing drinks into the room while the popcorn cooked. He handed a bottle to everyone, except him. Not that he expected him to, but he didn't expect to get anything either. Maybe some more water. "Here." He looked at the juice box that was thrust into his hand. He vaguely wondered when they had brought juice boxes for him. It took him several very frustrating tries to put the straw in.

"Need some help, Levi?" Paige asked from her place on the other couch.

"No, I got it." He replied through gritted teeth, not breaking his concentration. When the straw finally punctured the tiny hole, he knew his smile took over his face. "There. See." He took a giant sip. Johnny bounced back on the couch after dishing out three bowls of popcorn. The movie began and as he watched he remembered what happened next and he hastily turned the channel. "Actually, I don't want to watch this movie. Let's watch something else."

"Why don't you want to watch this movie anymore? You were very adamant about watching it." Johnny asked confused.

"Because the beginning is really sad." He turned his gaze to the ground._ 'Because it's sad. Really? You really are a baby.' _He really couldn't argue with himself on this point. He had never liked the beginning of this movie, he tried to avoid it like he did with Mufasa's death. He began flipping channels in hope of finding something else to watch. That feeling was beginning to surface and he needed another escape and fast. "_And then along came Zeus/ He hurled his thunderbolt" _He stopped abruptly sitting up straight. "Yes." He stated breathlessly. This was definitely one of his favorites. "We're watching this."

"Okay, whatever you want, Levi." Charlie stated. He never took his eyes away from the screen. Just after "Go the Distance" he felt his head begin to bob. He desperately wanted to see the end. But, that was still a ways off. He slumped against Briggs. _'I'll just rest my eyes for a minute' _He let his head loll. He awoke just in time to see Hercules stay on Earth with Meg._ 'I guess I rested my eyes for longer than I thought' _Glancing around he noticed everyone watching the movie. It was until the screen faded black did anyone break their gazes.

"Good choice, Mikey. I haven't seen this is in forever." Johnny smiled at him.

"Me neither." He yawned.

"I guess it's time for bed then." Charlie added.

"M'not tired." He had a hard time keeping his eyes open. The deep fatigue enveloping his body.

"Well, we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. I think we should call it a night." Briggs stated while standing, shifting him up his shoulder.

"Okay." They began moving towards the stairs. "Where's Stitch?" He started moving trying to find the elephant.

"Here." Johnny ran the elephant to them.

"Thanks. Johnny." He replied clutching Stitch to his chest and snuggling into Briggs once again.

"Don't mention it. Sleep tight."

When they reached his room, Briggs deposited him on the bed. "Let's put your pajamas on." He wasn't in the mood to move. With his lack of reaction, Briggs began changing him. _'I should really fight this. I should do this myself, but I'm really tired' _He just laid there as Briggs slipped pants on him and sat him up to change his shirt. He felt like little orphan Annie after they went to the movies and he silently laughed at the similarities. Briggs was carefully maneuvering him under the covers. "Goodnight." Briggs ruffled his hair as he walked out of the room. He couldn't help, but smile at the fact the Briggs had actually tucked him in. _'How many times had this happened though.' _He doesn't remember changing into his pajamas after they went to the beach or any other time he has fallen asleep in the last couple of days. _'Briggs is just full of surprises_' Nestling deeper into his pillows he let the exhaustion consume him.

**So, if you couldn't tell, I really love Disney movies! Tarzan was the movie with the sad beginning. It gets me every time. **


	15. Chapter 15

**If you haven't started ****_Phoenix on cloud nine's_**** story ****_Along The Way, _I suggest you rush right out and do it. It's AWESOME! There are some similarities between our stories, especially this chapter. I swear we are on the same wavelength when it comes to this, haha. This chapter has had the most review and revision of any chapter so far. That is why it took so long for it to be posted. I hope it helped. Anyway, this chapter may seem disjointed, but remember Mike is the one telling the story. On to the Story!**

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

**Spoilers: None. References, maybe. **

The first time he woke up, he felt weird. He really couldn't explain it better than that. It was more pronounced than yesterday. He saw that it was only a little after 5, so he figured he could go back to sleep for a few hours. Hopefully, the weirdness would leave.

The next time he woke up, he was still tired. And he still felt weird. With sluggish movements he made his way to the bathroom to take care of business. He didn't feel very steady on his feet and nearly fell of the toilet twice trying to wash his hands. He stumbled back into the bedroom. He went to the dresser where he kept his clothes and realized that he had worn all the clothes he had that would fit him and he hadn't done any laundry and he wasn't going to today. He really didn't feel well. _'I guess I'll be wearing my pajamas for the day' _He glanced down to see what pajamas he was wearing. '_Of course. I really thought we got rid of these' _He halfheartedly frowned at his attire. At the moment he really didn't care what he was wearing. He was cold and at least these had long sleeves. He haphazardly made his bed. Grabbing Stitch, he slowly made his way downstairs. Everything ached and that strange sensation was fighting for dominance over the aches. By the time he made it down the stairs, he didn't know if he wanted to cry or just pass out._ 'Maybe a little of both' _He kind of wished that he could have the pulsating pain back in his hand. That was better than how he was feeling now. He trudged into the kitchen because it was closer than the couch and his housemates were there.

"Look who decided to join us." Briggs laughed.

"Love the Pjs." Johnny chuckled. He really didn't care about the green dinosaur pajamas anymore. He stood there. Trying with all his might to remain upright. He was shaking like a leaf and he didn't know if it was because of how cold he was or how bad everything hurt.

"Mike. Are you alright?" He wanted to scream at Briggs that he wasn't but he barely shook his head before realizing that was the worst idea imaginable in his current state. White hot pain exploded in his head and black dots danced lazily in front of his eyes. He swayed and would have crashed to the ground if Briggs hadn't caught him. "Mike! Mike!" He didn't answer Briggs he let the darkness engulf him.

"How high?" Charlie's voice filtered through the darkness.

"101." He felt a hand cupping his chin and could taste the plastic in his mouth. _'Why would they be taking my temperature?' _Blinking he focused on Briggs sitting next to him and attempted to spit out the thermometer. His tongue wouldn't cooperate though. "Mike." He tried to shift so he was looking at Briggs, but that too was a bad idea. His body erupted in a fire that coursed though him, leaving him gasping in pain and on the verge of passing out again.

"I don't feel good." He said to no one in particular. He felt hot and cold at the same time. His body was still trembling and he just wanted to cry. In his current state he couldn't fight the emotions threatening to overtake him. He just let the tears fall freely. Seized by the weird pain that had taken residence in his body, he curled into himself. "Please make it stop." His broken pleas silencing the living room.

"It's okay, Mikey." He felt a hand travel through his short locks.

"Sweetie. Can you tell us what's wrong?" Charlie asked in tone that one would use when addressing a wounded animal.

"I-I-I don't know. Everything hurts. A-A-And I'm cold and hot at the same time. It's worse than the pulsating in my hand, I wish I could have that over this. It wasn't this bad yesterday." He curled into a tighter ball as he rode out another wave of pain. The tears continued to fall and he was pretty sure they wouldn't be stopping anytime soon.

"What do you mean it wasn't this bad yesterday? You felt like this yesterday?" Briggs asked.

"Sort of." His breathing hitched. "I felt weird yesterday. My mind was betraying me and I was really tired. But, it was nothing compared to this. I really want to pass out, so I don't have to feel this anymore. I think even death would be preferable to this. Maybe I am dying." His voice had grown soft and by the end it was nothing but a whisper. He had his eyes clenched shut, hoping it would help block out the pain.

"Mikey, you need to take this. We need to get your fever down, okay?" He opened his eyes and found himself cradled in Briggs' arms. He had no recollection of how he got there. When he didn't move, Briggs shifted him into a sitting position and tilted the small cup to his lips. He parted his lips slightly to allow the liquid to pass through. In his current state, he couldn't distinguish any of the conversation going on around him. He tried to bury himself into Briggs. The hand was still trailing through his hair. He vaguely made out reassurances being directed at him, He gave up the fight with the darkness and succumbed to the reprieve it offered.

The freezing sensation took hold of him and he shivered violently. "It's okay, Mikey. We're almost done." He blinked open bleary eyes to see his roommates gathered around him. He was lying on top of his comforter. Another shiver ran through his tiny body and he tried to curl in on himself, only stopped by Briggs. "We have to lower your fever. I know it's unpleasant, but it will make you feel better. Trust me." It dawned on him that he was only in his pajama pants and had several damp washcloths on his exposed chest.

"M'cold." He tried to shift the damp fabric from him, but his movements were once again thwarted.

"Please, Mikey. It's for your own good." He focused on Briggs and stopped his sluggish movements. He leaned into the touch of his hair being ruffled. Everything still felt weird, but at least it wasn't painful anymore. He felt his eyes growing heavy. "It's okay. Go to sleep we'll be here when you wake up." He nodded and fell into the darkness again.

He felt more alert the next time he traveled back into consciousness. He was still on top of his covers, but the cloths were no longer on his bare chest. A considerable amount of time must have passed because he noticed many sleeping forms around his room. Charlie and Paige were at the end and Johnny and Jakes were on either side of his bed slumped over in their chairs. Briggs was lying on the bed next to him gazing at him intently. "Hi." He croaked. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Hi." _'Much better' _

"Hey. How are you feeling?" Briggs asked as he pushed his unruly hair away from his face.

"Better. What time is it?"

"Three."

"Oh."

"Yeah. You spent most of the day delirious with fever-"

"I don't remember." He interrupted. Flashes of things that may have happened appeared before him.

"It wouldn't surprise me. You were pretty out of it. I'm actually glad you don't remember it. It wasn't very pleasant to watch." He wondered what Briggs meant by that. "Before. When you had a fever, was it like this?" He thought about it earnestly, before shaking his head.

"No. I don't think so. I wasn't really sick that often though. In this state I've been injured and sick more than I have in the last five years." He gave a small laugh. Briggs smiled at him. "Were you guys here the whole time?"

"Yeah... No one wanted to leave. For awhile there we thought we'd have to take you to the hospital. Your fever was almost 103. We were able to get it down though." Briggs had a far off look in his eyes like he was remembering something. He shook his head slightly before looking back at him. "I finally got them to go to sleep an hour ago." He smiled. "They're stubborn." Briggs matched his smile. He yawned. "You should go back to sleep, Mikey. It was a long day."

"Only if you sleep too." He said around another yawn.

Briggs laughed and motioned him closer. "Come here." He obliged. Snuggling into Briggs he let himself drift off again, but not before hearing Briggs' promise. "Everything's going to be fine. Nothing will hurt you, Mikey." He vaguely wondered what had transpired while he was in the clutches of the fever to make Briggs act like this and to make the others so reluctant to leave. _'I'll ask tomorrow'_ He decided before joining the others in the blissfulness of sleep.


	16. Chapter 16

**Hey guys! It's been awhile... School has just gotten in the way.**

**Thanks for the reviews, favorites and follows! They're greatly appreciated!**

**I realized I never gave you guys a timetable for this story, so it takes place after Pizza Box, but before O-Mouth. I'm just going to pretend there was a week break in between, haha.**

**Disclaimer: Doesn't belong to me.**

**Spoilers: None, might be references.**

He felt much better when he returned to consciousness. Focusing he was able to pick up the whispered conversations of his roommates that still surrounded his bed. _'What time is it?' _A shiver ran through him, despite his best efforts to remain still. The whispers stopped briefly.

"Mike?" Briggs broke the silence. He didn't move. Hazy images flashed before him and he tried to decipher them. '**Cold. He was so cold. He made a small whimpering noise and was rewarded by being cradled in Briggs' arms. He was rocked gently before being laid back out on the bed and covered with damp cloths. He was already cold.**_** Why didn't they understand that?**__' _"Mike." It was whispered and gentle. He turned toward the voice.

"Cold. M'cold." He whispered as he gazed at his roommates, but Briggs specifically. He noticed how they all tensed as he said that. _'No doubt having flashbacks of their own' _Noticing he was still shirtless, he rolled off the bed with every intention of procuring a shirt. He specifically wanted a hoodie he was _that_ cold and he knew at least that was clean. _'Crap. All my clothes are still dirty' _His body, however, didn't agree with his idea. As soon as he was vertical, the blood rushed from his head and gray appeared at the edges of his vision. He barely caught himself on the bedside table below he was gingerly lowering himself to the ground. He closed his eyes to block out the dizziness. When he reopened them, concern from his housemates greeted him. _'I think there is something wrong with me'_ Leaning his head against the table, he shut his eyes again. More hazy images flashed before him. This time accompanied by conversation.

**He was staring at the ceiling. Briggs was sitting next to him carding a hand through his tousled locks. "Paul, maybe we should take him to the hospital. It appears it's getting worse."**_ 'What was getting worse?' _

**"We don't know what this is. What if they can't fix him? Then what?" There was a deep sadness present in his voice. He whimpered curling in a ball. **

**"No. No. Don't." He curled in on himself even more. "Please."**

Blinking rapidly to clear the remaining images, he tensed. He didn't remember that. He really didn't remember anything from yesterday. Was this why his roommates wouldn't leave him? Briggs' promise from the night before echoed through his mind _'Everything's going to be fine. Nothing will hurt you, Mikey.' _What happened yesterday? Did he really want to know? _'You don't have to ask. You could just act like you don't remember which you don't. It will be better for everyone. Drop. It.' _He decided not to fight himself on this one. His subconscious was probably trying to protect him. That's why he couldn't remember. _'Yeah. Definitely going with that.' _He shifted and came to the startling realization that there was a hand on his forehead and voices floating around him in concern and worry. Shaking the hand off, he hastily stood which didn't help the dizziness and he was once more clutching the table in fear of crashing to the floor. When the darkness faded from his vision and he was sure he could stand without falling over, he straightened himself and glanced around the room. Locating his hoodie thrown haphazardly on his desk he strode over and retrieved it. Pulling it on he relished in its warmth and let out a contented sigh. Making a beeline for the bathroom he suddenly realized he needed to answer nature's call. He quickly washed his hands and brushed his teeth, before walking out feeling much, _much_ better than he had earlier. He smiled innocently, disarmingly at his friends who were staring at him curiously and slightly annoyed. He stopped dropped his smile and replaced it with a look to revival any puppy. He even added a lip quiver and brought forth some tears. He had to suppress the victorious smile as he saw their faces morph into 'aw sweetie'. He resumed his walk to the bed. He grabbed Stitch and hugged him to his body._'You've become too good at these childish antics' _He frowned slightly before walking to Briggs and lifting his arms in the universal sign of 'pick me up'._'Seriously?' _He was going to ignore the sensible side of himself he decided and indulge into his childish whims. When he was safely against Briggs' chest he finally tuned back into his roommates and answered their questions. "Sorry. M'fine. I was cold." He mumbled to no one in particular. Another chill ran through him and he couldn't stop the shiver.

"How are you feeling, kiddo? You had us very worried. With everything that happened yesterday. Then, you collapsed on the floor and completely zone out. We worried we would have to take you to the hospital." He tenses at the word hospital. The slight memories he retrieved from yesterday come to the forefront of his mind. He shivers again, this time it wasn't due to the cold. He snuggles deep into Briggs' chest as he continues speaking. "Besides feeling cold, is there anything else bothering you?" He seriously thinks about the question._'That weird sensation is still there. I'm cold. Super cold, like deep in my bones cold. Yeah that's about it. Hmm... I can surely tell them that.' _As he tells them this, he notices Briggs' frown deepens.

"Can we go downstairs? I'm hungry." Briggs' careful movements out the door is the only response he receives. The other members of Graceland follow them. Everyone crowded into the spacious kitchen. Starting the morning routine brought forth a sense of normalcy and it was as if yesterday hadn't happened. He smiled. _'Now only if this whole mess could be forgotten' _Briggs set him down on his stool and he hated to admit how disappointing it was to not be in Briggs' arms anymore. He felt a longing for the comfort._ 'I didn't need this much physical affection before. What the hell is happening to me?!' _

After breakfast, Johnny and Jakes took him to the living room to relax. Paige and Charlie set about 'disinfecting' his room and finishing his laundry. He had no idea when they started doing his laundry, but he had to admit it was nice. Soon he could choose what he wanted to wear instead of being stuck in what was still clean. _'When did you become so accepting of your situation?' _Worst of all though, he missed Briggs who had to run some urgent errand and would be back soon. Sitting on the couch, sandwiched between Johnny and Jakes, with the end of _Tarzan_ playing, he felt relaxed and soon fell into a deep sleep.

He woke briefly when Briggs came back and suggested that he slept in his room. He was then carried and deposited into his changed sheets. He curled deep into the fabric seeking the warmth that still eluded him. Stitch was firmly nestled in the crook of his right arm. His other arm curled under his pillow as he stretched out on his stomach. The overwhelming fatigue overtook him again and he allowed himself to succumb to another mid-day nap.


	17. Chapter 17

**Okay, so here you go. Don't hate me...**

**Bello and Mike were my BroTP. I'm still upset over their fallout even though I knew it would come sooner or later. **

**Disclaimer: Still not mine.**

**Spoilers: King's Castle, Happy Endings, Pawn, possibly others**

Rolling slightly, he glanced at the clock. It was three in the afternoon. '_I've slept the whole day away with this little nap. I guess I should go back downstairs and see what everyone's doing_' Climbing out of bed and walking into the bathroom, he stood shocked by his reflection._ 'I'm me again!' _He was thrilled. A smile bloomed across his face. Deciding to freshen up, before revealing himself to his roommates, he grabbed a quick shower. Pulling on dark jeans and a navy blue shirt he strode with purpose back into the bathroom. He combed his hair to perfection and brushed his teeth without having to stand on the toilet. His excitement was buzzing through him. He hastily made his bed. He couldn't leave a mess, no matter how excited he was at the change in his situation. He placed Stitch against his pillows and made his way out of his bedroom. Cautiously entering the kitchen he was disappointed to find no one there._ 'Where is everyone?' _His stomach growled bringing him back to the present._ 'I guess I'll eat something while I wait until they come back._' He moved to the fridge._ 'But, they wouldn't leave. Not after last time, when I thought they left. Maybe they already knew I changed back and decided to leave. Everything back to normal.' _He smiled. _'Normal' _That word made his smile grow and it didn't leave his face. He ate a brief snack unaware if they would have dinner together tonight. He washed the dishes with an enthusiasm he wasn't aware he possessed for washing dishes. By the time he had finished no one had come home or downstairs. Sighing, he plopped down on the couch and flipped on the TV. _'I'll just wait down here for them.' _Flipping through channels, he came across another of his favorite movies. He quickly stole a glance to make sure no one was actually in his general vicinity. _'It doesn't matter. It's a classic! They would understand. You've basically watched Disney for a week.' _Smirking he remembered movie night and how he managed to get every one of his housemates watching _Mulan _and _Hercules. . _Relaxing back into the couch, he succeeded in watching a majority of the movie before the living room was full of laughter and conversation. He slouched on the couch, so no one could see him unless they were next to him.

"Guys. Shh. Mike might still be asleep. It's been a rough couple of days."_ 'Thanks Charlie'_

"She's right. Indoor voices. Especially you Johnny." Paige stated.

"You guys start dinner. I'll go check on Mike." Briggs stated with authority. _'Did they know he changed back?'_

"Johnny, did you leave the TV on?" Jakes asked interrupting everyone's thoughts.

"No. I turned it off."

"Mike?" Briggs' questioned. Sighing, he'd been made. He stood slowly turning and absolute confusion greeted him. '_I guess that answers that' _

His smile was back. "What?" He asked as they continued to stare at him.

"You're back!" Johnny wrapped him in a bone crushing hug.

"Yeah." He laughed. "I thought you guys knew, since you left."

"I didn't leave. I was talking to a disgruntled drug dealer for the last hour."

"Oh." He replied in response to Paige.

"Johnny and I were picking up groceries." Charlie stated as she too wrapped him in a hug. It wasn't as tight as Johnny's though.

Soon, his roommates crushed him with hugs. The smile still refused to leave his face, even during the crushing hugs. They made their way to the kitchen where they talked and went about as if the last week had never happened. He loved his housemates. They were the family he wished he had. In the back of his mind a nagging presented itself saying it would never last. He chose to ignore it and go on with his evening.

"Yo, Mikey Mike. Do you want a beer?" He laughed and accepted Johnny's offer. He needed a drink to get rid of the nagging and move past this last week.

Looking at Briggs, he asked, "When do I get to go back to work?"

"Eager as always, Mikey." Charlie smiled. He returned the smile.

"The Bureau will probably want to clear you. Then depending on what happens you will either be put back in the field or benched." He knew this already, but he really didn't like to hear it. He sighed and took another sip of his beer. Not even half way through the bottle and he already felt tipsy. _'Damn after affects'_ Setting the bottle on the counter, he made his way to the fridge. Grabbing a water, he drank greedily hoping to remain sober.

"Something wrong with your beer, Mikey?" Johnny asked all smiles.

He frowned. "I just don't want to end up hungover my first day back."

"You've only had half of one bottle." Johnny's smile turned into a frown to match his.

"Um... I guess I'm still feeling the effects. I'm already a little tipsy." He confessed. Their gazes switched to concern and reminded him of earlier this morning. Shaking his head he tried to rid himself of those thoughts. He was sure they would plague him for weeks to come, but for now he didn't want them. He resumed his position on his stool watching everyone go about their business. Worried glances were thrown his way every few minutes. It was beginning to irritate him._ 'They will always see you as a baby, now' _His own thoughts mocked him and he realized dejectedly that he still didn't have a handle on his emotions. He tried to tell himself that it might take a while for him to be totally back to how he had been before, but it was no use. Dark thoughts burst unwelcome into the front of his mind. He needed to clear his mind before he blow up at someone. "I'll be back." He said to no one in particular as he rose from his seat and walked out the door. He strolled down the beach until he found a quiet secluded spot by the pier. Staring at the crashing waves reminded him of the last time he left the house on his own. The memories made him look down at his hand. The gashes were small and faded now. He knew they would scar. _'Just another reminder of my stupidity' _Tears of frustration rolled down his cheeks and he allowed them to fall. He had no idea how much time had passed, but the sun was setting. Deciding he felt better after his cry, he stood and made his way back to the house. Walking back into the house he heard conversations from the kitchen and moved towards it. Stopping by the bathroom on the way, he threw some water on his face and attempted to make it look like he hadn't been crying. A small smile crept up when he realized he very well succeeded. Finishing his walk to the kitchen he grabbed something for the headache all the crying had brought. Shaking two pills out of the bottle he swallowed them before chasing them with some water. His roommates had stopped their conversation when he had stepped into the kitchen. Vaguely, he wondered if they were talking about him again. He really didn't care anymore. He was hungry and all that crying had exhausted him. What was worse than that was that he wanted nothing more than to curl up in Briggs' arms and be comforted. He hated himself for that. He was an adult!

"You okay, Mikey?" Why did Briggs have to ask him that?

"Yeah. I'm fine." He mumbled as he was given a plate and served some pasta dish. He joined his roommates at the table and once Charlie was sitting with them, began eating. He ate his meal in silence. His thoughts were demanding all of his attention and he was too tired to put forth any effort. Finishing half of his plate he declared himself done. Clearing his dish, he announced that he was going to bed. The concern and worry from everyone didn't go unnoticed he was just too tired to care.

"Night. Mike" chorused from the table. He gave them a small smile and headed upstairs to his room. Stripping off his jeans and shoes, he was left in only his boxers and t-shirt. Pulling down his covers he flopped on his mattress. Grabbing the small blue elephant he curled into a small ball. Throwing the blankets so they were up to his chin, he buried himself into the bed. The conflicting emotions of wanting Briggs to tuck him in ran unabated through his mind. The tears once again began their trek down his face. He laid curled in a ball with tears streaming down his face until he succumbed to the blissful escape of sleep.

The sun streaming through his windows is what woke him up that morning. He didn't feel as tired and had better control over his emotions compared to yesterday, '_Must have just been a result of the change' _Untangling himself from his sheets he began his day. That day turned out like any other. His roommates still eyed him with concern, but overall things were going back to how they were before he changed.

Three days later he received an all-clear to go back in the field. He was beside himself. He couldn't be happier. If the only thing he had to worry about was fleeting concern from his housemates then he was fine with it.

He went back under to take down Bello. He moved up in the ranks and was soon second in command. The fallout with Bello and his recovery from his stab wound took a toll on his emotions and he sometimes felt like a five-year old again. He pushed those thoughts and feelings to the back of his mind. He had no intention of dealing with those feelings now, or ever, preferably.

Months after his "trip" - as he liked to refer to it - occurred, he awoke abruptly at 5 AM. His flight back to DC left today. His thoughts were racing and he walked into the bathroom. Being awake was something he definitely didn't desire right now. His flight didn't leave until later that evening and exhaustion still claimed him._ 'What the hell!'_ He stared in utter disbelief as he was once again smaller than the porcelain sink. He rushed up the toilet, standing haphazardly on the closed lid._ 'No not again'_ He gazed at his reflection. A small childish face of five-years old stared back at him. He jumped down and rushed to the bedroom door, firmly locking it before he began pacing around his mostly deserted room._'This can't be happening!'_ He ran a hand through his hair effectively mussing it. Bello's words ran through his head** '****_The difference between you and me is that I'll pay for my sins_****. **_I guess I'm paying for my sins, again.' _He sighed. He stopped his pacing._ 'I need to go. I can't be a burden to them again.' _Hastily, he threw on some of the clothes he had that would fit his current form. He tossed the remaining clothes and Stitch into a backpack. He was glad no one decided to get rid off the small-clothes. He shoved his packed suitcase under his bed. He didn't want anyone to know that he changed back or worry that he left without his stuff. Once the suitcase was effectively shoved under his bed and hidden from view from the door, he grabbed the backpack and walked cautiously and quietly out of his room, down the stairs and out the door of Graceland. He needed to get as far away from there as possible before anyone noticed.

TBC...Possibly

**So, yeah. That's the end. If enough people want, it may be continued in a sequel. If not, that's the end. Thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed and favorited this story. It has meant so much to me. It was a wonderful ride and a fantastic experience. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the end. Until next time :)**


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